Sun sets on maverick who gambled all

WHEN the sun rose over Washington on Wednesday, Donald Trump’s congressional allies were working to reverse the November election results.

By midday, the country watched in horror as his supporters physically breached the walls of the Capitol.

By dusk, the political conversation shifted away from keeping Trump for another four years, and on to the possibility of forcibly removing him in the next two weeks.

Reliable Trump allies had seen enough. Even Vice President Mike Pence, derided by critics for his loyalty, appeared ready to move on. Suddenly, the gamble made by Trump’s backers in Congress to protest against the election result looked like a political loser at best – and a career ender at worst.

Back in 2015, when Trump announced he was running for President, the Republican Party – founded by Abraham Lincoln – was tired, devoid of ideas and in need of a makeover.

They gambled that a reality TV star with no political experience was the antidote to what ailed the country. In the end, the hijacking of the Capitol overshadowed the biggest news story of the day – the Republican Party losing control of the Senate.

By the time the sun set on Wednesday, it marked the end of not just one of the more unsettling days in recent memory but also the end of Republican control and of the Trump era in Washington.

The former gambled big on the latter, and both lost.

It’s anyone’s guess where both go from here.

Colin Reed has worked for Ambassador Scott Brown and Senator Mitt Romney. Follow him on Twitter: @Colintreed