Trump’s “America First” slogan was never an ideology — it was a branding exercise.

His trade wars, defense deals, and budget fights were never about principle but about loyalty and leverage. He’s completely transactional, driven by grudges or personal loyalties rather than any consistent doctrine.

As Chuck Todd notes, that makes him endlessly flexible as a campaigner — he can shift to whatever position polls best — but dangerously fragile as a governing figure.

Without a real belief system to hold his coalition together, fear and grievance are the only things keeping it from collapsing.