Trump risking his movement's trust by making a pivotal mistake: columnist

Donald Trump has made a series of missteps that have left his followers confused and wondering whether they can trust him.

The former president has never been afraid to criticize Republicans, but his turning on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who Trump's base consider his proteges, shows that won't allow the movement he created to outlast him, according to Washington Post columnist Gary Abernathy.

"Trump voters are understandably confused," Abernathy writes. "Trump is not wrong when he boasts of helping to create DeSantis and Youngkin. They are molded largely in his image. He should be proud of them, not disparaging. They’re his progenies, the natural heirs to the movement he started. His base loves them, considers them their own and thinks Trump should love them, too. After all, he birthed them."

The twice-impeached insurrectionist cannot win a general election, according to Abernathy, and Trump won't leave the political stage quietly.

IN OTHER NEWS: 'Trump or death': Trump supporters caught on video stomping on a flag featuring DeSantis

"It is plain to all by now that Trump cannot do anything with dignity," Abernathy wrote. "That being the case, we will watch him exit kicking and screaming. It will be satisfying for his adversaries, painful for everyone else. But breakups are often messy — especially at the very end."