Why Republicans' old tricks aren't working on Trump this time

Donald Trump has spent eight years in and around Washington. Though he has persuaded a fair number of congressional Republicans to adopt a new tune, he has had a harder time getting them to change the lyrics. They still did much of what they wanted, even as they picked up a few new slogans. Lukewarm Republicans clung to the Bush-era policies Trump specifically ran against, but most learned to dress up their views in pro-Trump language and gestures.

In Trump’s first go-round, that was a winning strategy for liberal and neoconservative Republicans. In his second, though, it’s not working so well. The reason comes down to a combination of clear, hard-nosed policy, an experienced and committed staff, and a vice president who tracks every word in the songbook.

The vice president might be the main reason Capitol Hill Republicans’ “do my own thing while claiming MAGA” trick no longer works.

It might feel like forever, but think back to 2017, when Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) publicly played nice with Trump. Of course, McConnell never stopped doing exactly what he wanted, but he was shrewd enough to realize that if he said “MAGA!” while doing it, he would be fine.

Vice President Mike Pence didn’t mind one bit — he was in on the gag. His appointment to the job had put a lot of more traditional Republicans’ and conservatives’ worried minds to rest: Pence could be trusted to keep the brash showman from Queens in line. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge.

And what were the political appointees going to do for MAGA? Secretary of State Rex Tillerson wasn’t going to rock the boat abroad. Chief of Staff Reince Priebus was no nationalist insurgent reimagining the party and its principles. Many of even the ranking White House staff members were young people from the campaign.

And to be fair, MAGA was in its infancy. It was still largely reactionary and not yet the governing philosophy it would mature into.

All that has changed now. Every aspect of it. Four years of hard-learned lessons, followed by four years of policy planning and think-tank building, combined for a well-prepared team that knows what it believes. The entire effort was enforced by the political reality that Trump had the nomination on lock for essentially two years. All realistic observers knew he’d win the nod if he wanted it — a situation unheard of in modern political history.

And that’s not all. Vice President JD Vance is the most active vice president since Dick Cheney. But unlike Mike Pence, Vance is fervently committed to the president’s disruptive agenda, both at home and abroad. While Vance has built a reputation for conciliatory outreach and late-night negotiations, he’s also shown a willingness to bring the stick to a disagreement — particularly on social media.

The vice president might be the main reason Capitol Hill Republicans’ “do my own thing while claiming MAGA” trick no longer works. Take as an example the disagreement brooding over Elbridge Colby’s nomination to undersecretary of defense for policy. In his initial, public protest, Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman and Armed Services Committee member Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) said he just wanted to make sure Trump’s nominees were properly committed to Trump’s agenda.

Vance did not openly attack Cotton. But in a series of posts aimed at other Colby critics, he attacked their opposition, calling it “sloppy BS.” Colby, Vance added, is "a genuinely brilliant strategic thinker" and a friend. Then the vice president reminded all who were reading that "the president has nominated him. And he should be easily confirmed.”

As multiple veterans of the first and second Trump administrations have told me over the past weeks, the above factors combined with committed and experienced political appointees have set the 47th White House administration far apart from the 45th in efficiency and rapid success.

This is a veteran White House, sharpened by four years in the wilderness and fully committed to the president’s agenda. And the administration is not even fully staffed yet. This thing is just beginning.

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