Ex-RNC Chair Michael Steele says American institutions collapsed rapidly under 'bully' Trump's rule
WASHINGTON, DC: Former Republican National Committee chair Michael Steele offered a sharp critique of President Donald Trump’s first year back in office, saying that he was stunned less by Trump’s governing style than by how quickly major American institutions yielded.
Steele, 67, who led the RNC from 2009 to 2011 and popularized the slogan ‘Drill, baby, drill!’ during the 2008 Republican National Convention, said that Trump’s return carried clear warning signs.
What surprised him, he said, was the pace at which legal, academic, and corporate entities adjusted to the new reality.
Michael Steele says institutions collapsed faster than expected
“The only thing that would be surprising is the speed with which institutions collapsed,” Steele said in a recent phone interview with The Guardian. “I thought that there would be more resistance from lawyers and institutions of higher learning than we’ve seen.”
Steele argued that the administration moved with what he described as an “everything-everywhere-all-at-once strategy,” placing simultaneous pressure on multiple sectors.
He pointed to reports that law firms critical of the administration faced threats related to security clearances and federal contracts, prompting some to negotiate settlements that included pro bono work aligned with White House priorities.
He also cited federal funding freezes aimed at elite universities, totaling more than $5 billion, tied to investigations into diversity policies and alleged bias. Several schools accepted oversight and policy changes, while Harvard has remained a prominent holdout.
“Once you beholden yourself to a bully, you will always be bullied,” Steele said. “Literally within six months of taking the oath of office, Donald Trump had pretty much slapped the crap out of everything and everyone he could and instead of fighting back they cowered in a corner.”
Michael Steele notes pushback with protests and Jimmy Kimmel's return
Despite what he described as institutional retreat, Steele pointed to emerging pushback, including the nationwide ‘No Kings’ protests and Disney’s reinstatement of Jimmy Kimmel following a suspension over political comments.
Still, he warned that the administration’s momentum was unlikely to slow. Steele said Trump was surrounded by advisers he described as “engines,” including Steve Bannon, Stephen Miller, and FBI Director Kash Patel.
“They see themselves benefiting directly and indirectly from everything that is happening so they will continue to pursue those agendas,” he said.
Michael Steele calls himself a 'motel 6 Republican'
Steele, the first Black chair of the RNC and a former lieutenant governor of Maryland, now referred to himself as a “Motel 6 Republican,” saying that he was determined to “leave the lights on” for the party’s future.
He voted for Joe Biden in 2020 and Kamala Harris in 2024, but said that he remained a Republican.
He also publicly criticized Trump’s cultural initiatives, including the rebranding of the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as the ‘Trump-Kennedy Center.’
“So pathetic. Such a lonely, desperate cry for acceptance,” Steele wrote on social media. “A craving not even his family can satisfy – he has to appropriate another family’s legacy.”
Steele says midterms may mirror 2010'
Looking ahead to the 2026 midterms, Steele said that he saw parallels to the 2010 elections, when Republicans gained control of the House under his leadership. This time, he predicted a Democratic surge, estimating gains of 30 to 35 seats.
“It’s not impeachment of the president, because we’ve done that twice and failed,” Steele said. “But individuals in their capacities as secretaries and administrators and directors and advisers can be held accountable and must be held accountable.”
He pointed to Democratic victories in 2025, including gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia and the passage of California’s Proposition 50, as early indicators. “Those are signals from the American voter about how they’re looking at these things,” Steele said.
