Trump faces 'calamitous' situation as his 'political charm' starts to backfire: author

An author who has written four books about President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the president's "political charm" is starting to backfire on the administration.

For years, part of Trump's appeal to voters has been that he does not course-correct when things go sideways, journalist Michael Wolff argued in a new episode of "Inside Trump's Head," a podcast he co-hosts with Joanna Coles of The Daily Beast. However, that strategy appears to be failing him as the administration and the Republican Party limp toward the 2026 midterms.

"Course correcting is the absolute opposite of what he does. Trump is strictly a double-down guy," Wolff said. "It's part of his political charm in its way. 'I don't pander, I don't give a s---. I just do what I'm going to do.' And for various points that has been impressive, even charming, to lots of people."

"But at various other points, it's calamitous, and I think we're at one of those points," he added.

Wolff noted that Trump seems to have stopped discussing issues that matter to the MAGA base in the White House, citing conversations he'd had over the last week.

For instance, Wolff said Trump still measures the economy's success by stock market performance, which doesn't resonate with many MAGA voters. He's also been raging about the Federal Reserve and the White House Ballroom, two other issues that don't appeal to MAGA, he said.

"Everybody around him, their response is frustration, but I think they have to convert that into patience because you can't tell him, 'Hey, we're really heading for disaster here.' They are heading for disaster. No one can say that."