President Donald Trump is getting closer to a moment many people once thought would never come: being left behind by his own supporters. According to Jesse Edwards, the director of Newsweek Voices and Radio, the same kind of people Trump lifted up in politics are now starting to back away, not wanting to be associated with him as his influence weakens and his reputation worsens.
Edwards argues that Trump is not just a bad president, but something more damaging. In his view, Trump represents the worst qualities in American public life, not because of policies or party politics, but because of who he is and how he operates. What happens next to Trump, Edwards says, will not be driven by Democrats or political ideology. It will be driven by Trump’s own allies turning against him. History shows that figures who demand total loyalty while giving nothing back usually fall this way. Their inner circle abandons them first.
Recent public criticism from well-known MAGA figures, especially after Trump’s attack on the late film director Rob Reiner, is not random or isolated. Edwards believes it is a warning sign that Trump’s base is beginning to crack. People who once defended him without question are now looking for distance, preparing to save themselves before things get worse.
Trump, Edwards explains, has never played by the same rules as everyone else. He shifts his behavior depending on what benefits him in the moment. His focus has always been on gaining more money, more attention, and more personal loyalty. To him, money matters even more than basic decency or respect for others. Edwards points to Trump’s own past words, including recordings where Trump openly bragged about mistreating women, as evidence of a man who believed wealth and power put him above moral limits.
On top of this, Edwards notes that Trump is clearly struggling with age-related decline. When you compare how Trump speaks now to how he spoke several years ago, the difference is hard to ignore. His speeches wander. He repeats himself. He appears confused at times and physically weaker, while constantly insisting that nothing is wrong. Many people have seen similar changes in aging relatives, and Edwards argues you do not need medical training to recognize the signs. The country recently went through a similar situation with Joe Biden, making the contrast even more noticeable.
At the same time, Trump keeps pushing away people who once stood firmly beside him. His growing rift with figures like Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene shows a pattern of burned bridges. Allies who were once fiercely loyal are slowly becoming critics or stepping back entirely.
Edwards believes this process will speed up after the 2026 midterm elections. No matter how Republicans perform, Trump will become more of a problem than a benefit. If Republicans lose, Trump will be blamed. If they win, he will no longer be needed. Either outcome leaves him without real value to the party. And when Trump stops being useful, Edwards says, he will be cast aside without hesitation.
In the end, Edwards concludes that Trump’s downfall will follow a familiar pattern. Men who demand total loyalty, while offering little or nothing in return, rarely fall because of their enemies. They fall because the people who once praised them decide it is time to walk away. When that moment comes, even those who once called Trump their king will be the first to turn on him.
