OPINION:
As President Trump’s historic second term in the White House reaches its ninth month, Trump derangement syndrome is running at a fever pitch among unhinged Democrats at all levels of government.
Look no further than Maryland’s do-nothing, far-left-wing Gov. Wes Moore, who seems to be obsessed with becoming a Gavin Newsom wannabe. Whether it’s reckless spending, high crime or high taxes, Mr. Moore is trying his heart out to keep up with the disastrous governor of California in the 2028 radical Democrat George Soros presidential primary.
Mr. Newsom’s hysteria over congressional redistricting is also living rent-free in Mr. Moore’s head. In a speech last month, Mr. Moore said, “I want to be very clear and say it loud enough for the people in the back: While these other states are determining whether or not they have fair maps … so will Maryland.”
It’s clear that Mr. Moore’s position on redistricting is driven by a strong case of TDS because he is charging straight into an unforced political error. The governor is half-right: Maryland’s congressional map is unfair, but it’s horribly unfair to Republicans, not Democrats. As recently as 2002, Maryland’s congressional representation in Congress was split down the middle with four Democrats and four Republicans. Today, because of outrageous Democratic gerrymandering, the Old Line State’s delegation in the U.S. House is now composed of seven left-wing Democrats and only one Republican in the form of conservative stalwart Rep. Andy Harris.
If Mr. Moore considered the fact that Maryland has had a Republican governor 12 out of the past 24 years and analyzed how Republican presidential candidates have fared in the state over the past several elections, he would conclude that more than one Republican district in Congress is warranted. So, if Mr. Moore really wanted to be fair, he would support a new congressional map in Maryland that has two or even three Republican districts, not zero. Yet in the age of TDS, chances are the ultra-partisan governor is eyeing a map that would have farmers on Maryland’s Eastern Shore being represented in Congress by a socialist Democrat from Baltimore. This isn’t leadership. If Mr. Moore really wants to earn another term in Annapolis, he has a funny way of showing it.
Who knows? Maybe Mr. Moore will come to his senses and start focusing on his 2026 reelection effort before continuing to lay the groundwork for a 2028 presidential run. According to new polling, “11% said his top accomplishment was raising taxes or making poor budget decisions, and 10% said the governor had accomplished nothing at all.” Fresh headlines such as “Baltimore ranked third most dangerous U.S. city by crime index” are only making matters worse for Wes Moore as he makes premature moves on the national level such as refusing Mr. Trump’s offer of federal help to make Baltimore safe again.
Mr. Moore’s constant miscues must be getting the attention of popular former Gov. Larry Hogan, who is eligible to run for another term in 2026 and is one of the few Republicans in Maryland capable of capitalizing on Mr. Moore’s failures and prevailing in a statewide contest. Mr. Moore can be defeated only by a Republican challenger who is willing to draw a sharp contrast with the failed incumbent governor, not someone who plays by the old rules and appears in photo ops with the governor around the state. Republicans shouldn’t allow themselves to be used by Mr. Moore in his desperate attempt to be seen as bipartisan.
Mr. Moore recently said that whoever his 2026 opponent turns out to be, “I hope you come ready.” On that note, one thing is for certain: The next Republican nominee for Maryland governor will undoubtedly “come ready” by highlighting Mr. Moore’s abysmal record. Upon taking office, the governor squandered the largest surplus in state history and turned it into an enormous deficit in short order. This gaffe forced him to enact record tax and fee increases earlier this year that are making Maryland a completely unaffordable place to raise a family. Add the skyrocketing energy prices that Mr. Moore’s radical climate policies have caused, and you see why people are moving out of Maryland.
Unfortunately for Mr. Moore, it doesn’t end there. Who could forget that while Mr. Trump was busy bringing back law and order to the District of Columbia, Mr. Moore was caught on George Clooney’s yacht in Italy as crime continued to ravage residents of Baltimore? With regard to the ongoing government shutdown, Mr. Moore doesn’t have the guts to tell Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, a fellow Democrat, to stop the political games and reopen the government so thousands of federal workers who live in Maryland can get back on the job and support their families.
The American people know that Trump derangement syndrome and effective leadership don’t mix. Mr. Moore is about to find out the hard way that being the next garden variety Trump-hating leftist isn’t enough to obscure his dreadful term in the governor’s mansion or set him apart from other radical 2028 presidential aspirants.
• David N. Bossie is the president of Citizens United. He served as a senior adviser to the Trump 2024 and 2020 campaigns. He served as deputy campaign manager for Donald J. Trump for President in 2016 and deputy executive director for the Trump transition team.
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