When Donald Trump won his second term, there was much speculation about what it would mean to have a president who started out as essentially a lame duck. “After nearly a decade — during which so many in the GOP cowered in fear at the costs of defying Trump — ambitious senators, House members and governors will be contemplating their own futures in a world without him,” wrote my colleague E.J. Dionne Jr., adding that “recognizing the limitations on a Trump presidency is a first step toward holding Trump in check.”

However you would describe what is happening now, no one would argue that Trump has been held in check. Instead, we are witnessing something entirely novel in American political history: the YOLO presidency. (YOLO, for those unfamiliar, stands for “You Only Live Once” — which is to say, make the most of every moment you have.) Rather than being constrained by the fact that he can’t run for office again, Trump has been liberated by not needing to. He is free to do exactly as he pleases, knowing he will never again have to explain himself to voters. And, as they say, you only live once.

Of course Trump has mused about running for a third........

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