Trump’s Year Zero Fades as Reckoning Emerges

Matt Bai argues that Trump’s second-term ‘Year Zero’ revolution peaked in 2025 but did not erase institutional checks; his anti-intellectual, identity-focused agenda and a loyalist advisory circle sought to reorder society and the international order, yet Democratic backlash and electoral results have undermined momentum, suggesting the coming year will test whether the movement endures or fades, with U.S. institutions still functioning and voters likely steering away from a sequel.