Trump loses swing

In pristine white and in formation on the deck, the sailors of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln arrived at the port of San Diego on Thursday, 322 days after their departure. Their long mission has been overshadowed by logistical problems and discouragement. When they left the United States, at the end of 2025, they did not imagine that they would become a symbol of some of the things that have gone wrong during Donald Trump's presidency: of a failed military adventure in the Middle East, of the arrogance of incapable commanders, and of Washington's accelerated loss of power to rivals and friends.

The deployment, in support of the attacks on Iran, has led to the record of sailing without touching port - 265 days - and a string of misfortunes for the 5,000 crew members of the ship. They have faced food and water supply difficulties, bathroom breakdowns and mental health crises. Trump wanted the ayatollah regime to collapse in a few weeks, but the conflict has become a labyrinth in which the United States has lost the initiative and a part of its reputation. Iran has damaged naval bases in Washington that the USS Lincoln needed for its operations. The ship returns home while the situation in the Strait of Hormuz stagnates: the transit of fuel and goods is conditioned by Tehran, the allies of the United States are more helpless and the price per gallon at American gas stations threatens to sink the Republicans in the November polls.

Many of Trump's promises have faded. The future of the national economy seems bleaker and, instead of moving away from eternal and distant wars, the president has invented new ones, with very negative consequences for the life of the average American. The man who agitated millions of voters in 2016 and 2024 no longer excites conservative rebellion as before. Only one in three Americans approves of his presidency and support among those who voted for him two years ago falls from 95% to 67%.

That fatigue could be a deciding factor in November's midterm elections. With Republican dominance at risk in the House of Representatives and serious doubts about control of the Senate, most conservative candidates competing for the most contested seats are moving as far away from Trump as they can to give themselves options. The Reuters agency has detected this distancing in two-thirds of these candidates and notes that at least a dozen of them have eliminated the president's name from their campaigns.

According to the chronicles of the American press, for many voters his delusions no longer seem like a symptom of genius. They no longer trust in a hidden master plan and, while they look worriedly at their pockets, they reluctantly agree with each joke that is repeated. Now, the White House ballroom. Now, the name change of another lake or mountain. Everything seems already seen. In the society of rapid consumption and shock addiction, Trump, master of chaos, is beginning to sound worn out.