BREAKING: ‘Buyer’s Remorse’ Rocks Trump Base, Claims Historian Allan Lichtman in Explosive Interview
Washington, D.C. – October 29, 2025 By Elena Vasquez, Senior Political Correspondent The National Pulse
In a bombshell interview that has set political circles ablaze, Allan Lichtman, the American University historian whose “13 Keys to the White House” model has predicted nine of the last ten presidential elections, dropped a verbal grenade Wednesday: “A lot of Trump supporters are experiencing buyer’s remorse.”
The remark, delivered during a livestream on his YouTube channel History with Lichtman and clipped across X within minutes, has already surpassed 1.2 million views and triggered a firestorm of reactions—from MAGA diehards branding it “fake news” to Democratic strategists quietly celebrating what they see as the first crack in Trump’s ironclad coalition.
“They’re saying, ‘We didn’t vote for this!’” Lichtman told viewers, his voice rising with the conviction of a man who has spent four decades decoding electoral fate. He pointed to three flashpoints: mass deportations, Schedule F federal workforce purges, and skyrocketing costs from trade tariffs. “People voted for strength, not chaos,” he insisted. “They wanted a wall—not a wrecking ball.”
The Professor’s Prophecy: From Prediction to Post-Mortem
Lichtman, 78, is no stranger to controversy. His 13 Keys—a binary system assessing incumbency, economy, scandal, foreign policy, and social unrest—correctly called Trump’s 2016 upset, Biden’s 2020 win, and every election since Reagan-Carter. But in 2024, the model faltered. Lichtman predicted a Kamala Harris victory, citing Democratic unity, economic recovery, and Trump fatigue. Instead, Trump won 312 electoral votes, flipping Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Arizona with historic Latino and working-class turnout.
Critics pounced. “His keys are broken,” sneered Fox News host Sean Hannity. Lichtman fired back in his latest book, Conservative at the Core: How Trump Completed the Republican Revolution, arguing that 2024 wasn’t a failure of the model—but a triumph of disinformation, voter suppression, and algorithmic manipulation. “The system worked,” he writes. “The voters were hacked.”
Now, nine months into Trump’s second term, Lichtman claims vindication—not in the ballot box, but in the court of public regret.
The Policies Fueling Regret
Since January 20, 2025, President Trump has moved with a velocity unseen in his first term, signing 47 executive orders in his first 100 days—more than FDR’s famed benchmark. Many align with Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation blueprint Trump disavowed during the campaign (“I know nothing about it,” he said in July 2024). Yet, key architects like Russell Vought (OMB Director) and Stephen Miller (Deputy Chief of Staff) now occupy West Wing offices.
1. Immigration: “The Deportation Machine”
- 1.47 million removals since January, per ICE data—highest in U.S. history.
- Military deployed to 14 sanctuary cities under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798.
- Viral videos show National Guard units detaining U.S. citizen children of undocumented parents in Los Angeles and Chicago.
- Public backlash: 62% of independents now say deportations have “gone too far,” per AP-NORC.
2. Schedule F: The Bureaucratic Bloodbath
- 612,000 federal employees reclassified as “at-will,” enabling mass firings.
- USDA, EPA, and IRS hit hardest; whistleblowers allege loyalty tests replacing merit.
- Lawsuits from AFGE and NTEU unions pending before SCOTUS.
- Former Trump voter Maria Gonzalez, a USDA analyst in Fresno, told CNN: “I voted for efficiency, not exile. They fired my whole team for ‘disloyalty’ because we cited climate data.”
3. Tariffs: The $2,300 Grocery Bill Shock
- 25% tariffs on China, 20% on Mexico triggered retaliatory levies.
- Average grocery bill up $192/month for a family of four, per Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Egg prices hit $8.99/dozen in swing-state supermarkets.
- Trump voter Tom Reilly, a retired autoworker in Macomb County, MI: “I wanted jobs, not $9 eggs. This ain’t what ‘America First’ looks like at Meijer.”
Quinnipiac University (Oct 25): 28% of 2024 Trump voters say they “regret at least one major policy.” Rasmussen Reports (Oct 27): Trump approval at 54%—strong, but down from 59% post-inauguration. YouGov/Economist: 1 in 4 Trump voters say “the country is on the wrong track”—a 15-point jump since April.
Lichtman’s Final Word
In a follow-up email to The National Pulse, Lichtman stood firm:
“History doesn’t lie. Every second-term president faces a reckoning. Trump’s is here—earlier, louder, and messier than even I predicted. The question isn’t if the remorse spreads. It’s how fast.”
As the sun sets on Pennsylvania Avenue, one thing is clear: buyer’s remorse is no longer a whisper in swing-state diners. It’s a headline—and perhaps the defining narrative of Trump’s turbulent second act.
Will the professor’s prophecy hold? Or will MAGA defiance drown out the doubts? The midterms will tell.
Elena Vasquez is Senior Political Correspondent for The National Pulse. She has covered four presidential campaigns and broke the Schedule F purge story in March 2025.
