Trump unbeatable? Hold that thought a moment

Donald Trump may be the most disliked American president ever - certainly since the days of Richard Nixon (unless you're a Republican, then the most disliked President likely was Barack Obama, or maybe the Clinton family).

Even Republicans, who likely are happy to have a Republican in the White House after the eight years of Obama, are losing patience - or at least getting nervous.

This past weekend (Weekend No. 7 for Trump) was an excellent example of how Americans who voted for him, or even those who voted against him, are still uncertain as to what to expect during the next 201 weekends, which will bring us to January, 2021. (Election Day in 2020 is only 201 weeks away but we can't assume that the weeks between Election Day in 2020 and Inauguration Day in 2021 would be calm and predictable. In fact, if Trump seeks re-election in 2020 and loses, those 10 weeks between the Election Day and Inauguration Day in 2021 could be among the most tumultuous in American history.)

(Author's note: I am currently nearing the end of author Ron Chernow's classic biography, "Alexander Hamilton." I have not yet seen the musical, "Hamilton," but after learning so much about the early American politician - who did not reach the White House, and who died following a duel - , I am convinced that the musical "Trump" will have many similarities, minus the death-by-duel that took Hamilton away. Vice President Aaron Burr fired the gun that removed the entertaining Hamilton from the political scene in July, 1804.

(Hopefully, this snippet about Hamilton does not destroy the excitement for those waiting to see the musical, as I am in September.)

Last week when I proposed the idea of a "progress report" on the early weeks of the Trump Administration to my Daily Herald editor, I began the nascent column this way:

Despite what it may seem like to some political and media "experts," I think Donald Trump's first six weeks in office may be a sign that his first term can be a success and could provide the momentum needed for a second term.

Why? How could someone make that kind of assumption so early in this president's first term? Slightly more than one month gone, and more than 46 months to go?

Credit the Democrats and the "haters" for making Trump look better. They are in a state of panic and don't seem to know what to do about Trump.

But Donald Trump does seem to have an ability to turn things upside down when you least expect it.

Be honest, most Americans did not expect him to be the Republican nominee for president. When he achieved that milestone, most - maybe even more - did not expect him to defeat Hillary Clinton. But he did both, and one gets the feeling that the next magic trick that he'll perform, or pull out of his hat, will be the conclusive proof, including names and signatures, of all the people who attended his inauguration - thousands, maybe millions - more than ever attended a U.S. Presidential Inauguration.

But does he have proof that Barack Obama had something to do with tapping the telephones at Trump Tower in New York last year in a Watergate-like effort to block Trump's election?

Trump offered no evidence, other than comments in a conservative publication and on conservative talk radio.

Hey, I'm a conservative. I worked with and for Phil Crane and Ronald Reagan, and I read The Wall Street Journal and National Review, yet even I won't believe half the stuff I read in some publications or hear on conservative radio stations.

But now, not quite two months into his administration, Trump is making the kinds of noises and generating the kinds of headlines that will result in booming business for the manufacturers of ointments for people to use when they can't stop scratching their heads.

And while I scratch mine, I'll put away that draft of a commentary I had prepared on why I thought (last week, at least) that Trump was being helped by the "Trump Haters" and that as the stock market climbs and the economy seems to stabilize somewhat, our new president might be unbeatable in 2020.

Ed Murnane, edmurnane@gmail.com, of Arlington Heights, is retired president of the Illinois Civil Justice League and a former staff member for presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.