How long will Trump's honeymoon last?

It's called the "honeymoon": the first days and weeks of a new administration when a freshly elected president is most popular and, perhaps, most powerful. This is President Donald Trump's second honeymoon. The question now is if he can make it last.

Trump "finally is getting" a political honeymoon, Marc Thiessen said at The Washington Post. When he first took office in 2017, his election was treated as a "fluke, or even the product of a conspiracy with Russia." That's no longer the case. Now? More Democrats are "publicly declaring their willingness" to work with the new administration. If that's really the case, Trump "might finally get the presidency he should have had in 2017."

The new president "continues to see some of the most positive ratings of his political career," said CNN. Most Americans — 56% — expect him to do a good job in his second term, compared to just 48% who had such feelings when he took office in 2017. Just 46% of the public has a "favorable" view of Trump, two points behind those with an unfavorable view. Those are his "best numbers" since right after the 2016 election. But history suggests that "this honeymoon period will wear off," said CNN.

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New presidents get 'benefit of the doubt'

The honeymoon "won't last," said Noah Berlatsky at Public Notice. Trump has "never had high approval ratings," and it's unlikely that his policies and accomplishments will help push them higher. The beginning of a term is "when voters and other politicians give the president the benefit of the doubt." But Trump has "no discipline, no knowledge of or interest in good government, and supports wildly unpopular policies" and those elements will combine to end his honeymoon sooner than later.

Trump's early support "could easily evaporate" if he doesn't quickly meet the expectations of supporters, said the University of Sydney's Samuel Garrett at The Conversation. Polls show that voters are still worried about inflation, and just 20% believe the country is headed in the right direction. Half of Americans expect prices to come down. Trump "runs the risk of losing public support" if his early actions "do not produce substantive change."

'More momentum than ever'

"It might be all downhill from here" as Trump and Republicans shift from opposition to the "hard realities" of running government, said Nick Catoggio at The Dispatch. Even if Trump fulfills his promises, some Americans might decide "they liked his plans more in theory than in practice."

But Trump is "not a normal politician," said Newsweek. His first term proved tempestuous and he has promised to "go hard" in his second term. Trump's latest favorability ratings are an improvement for him but "his approval rating is still low" compared to other new presidents, said American University's Allan Lichtman. That might be no obstacle, said University College London's Thomas Gift: Trump has "more momentum than ever."