November 6, 2026 - Mag 7 Sheds $1 Trillion in AI Rout

Yesterday’s poll drew heavy turnout and a decisive verdict. I asked how the Democrats who won on Tuesday should interpret their victories: as a rebuke of President Trump, or as support for Democratic policies? Nearly 40,000 of you voted, and it was roughly 80-20 for rebuke.

On yesterday’s program, Chuck called from Indiana. “I have a suggestion for tomorrow’s poll question,” he said. “Since most people today are on the side of ‘rebuke,’ why not ask whether it was a rebuke of Trump’s policies or his personality?”

I told him I was sure that if I asked, most would say personality. Chuck said he’d vote policy. So I put a question to him: when Trump took down the East Wing on his own say-so, was that policy or personality?

Personality, said Chuck.

That, I told him, is a pretty expansive definition of personality. So what counts as policy? He cited tariffs, Iran, and ICE. Fair enough, I said, but if others define personality as broadly as he did in the East Wing example, the poll will be lopsided. And if it comes in at 99-1, I’ll know who the one is.

It was a good call, and Chuck put his finger on something that matters. If Tuesday was about policy, Democrats have an argument to make about what they’d do differently. If it was about personality, that rebuke may not carry over to Republicans who share Trump’s agenda but not his temperament, which is worth remembering when he is no longer on any ballot.

The trouble is that the line between the two is blurry. How a president governs, what he does without asking, is that style or substance? I’m not sure there’s a clean answer, which is what makes it an interesting question.

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CNBC

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CNN

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NPR

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The Independent

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Associated Press

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USA Today