I like this part too:
Many political observers try to make this “yes, but” argument, acknowledging the successes of the Trump administration while condemning Trump the person for crimes of social deviation: He delivered tax cuts, but oh my goodness he does mean tweets.
At National Review, for a particularly clear example, Jay Cost writes that he’s “pleasantly surprised by the policy output of this administration,” but then adds: “And yet it is impossible to say that this year has been a successful one for the new administration. The problem has been the president himself.”
This distinction can’t be made. Over the last year, Trump has come into clear relief as a disrupter, a familiar historical figure. Moments of significant historical change find figures that can carry the weight, and they tend to have similar characteristics.
The president’s personality can’t be separated from the political fruits of his administration.
