The very worst aspect of the reignited Jeffrey Epstein saga, followed closely by the resurgence of Russiagate, is that we’d finally gotten the best version of President Donald Trump. The historically successful Iran strikes and passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act marked the emergence of a self-actualized president. The brash and bawdy showman of the 1980s had transformed into an historic figure before our eyes, and his opposition had fallen to pieces. Perhaps he would never reach the historical significance of Teddy Roosevelt or Harry Truman. But LBJ? Woodrow Wilson? You could see it if you squinted.

Today, the Trump who reshaped the Middle East without sacrificing a single American soldier and steered historic legislation through a fractious Congress with razor-thin majorities feels like a distant memory — or maybe a dream?