After years making tough decisions every day, one of the hardest a president faces is

what to do next.

George W. Bush pursued his inner Rembrandt.

His oddly arresting portraits of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Dalai Lama, and his

father, former President George H. W. Bush, have been exhibited across the country, a self-portrait

the only hint of narcissism.

Barack Obama also chose a creative path in his own more attention-grabbing style.

He wrote a lengthy memoir and recently launched a podcast with Bruce Springsteen.

Sadly, the two-sages fail to answer the burning question.

How the red cap wedged into the Levi's on the famous born in the USA album cover came

to be appropriated by Trump fans.

Trump himself is less inclined to let his legacy percolate while he pursues a new hobby.

This week he reasserted control of the Republican Party, hinting he could become only the second

president after Grover Cleveland to make the biggest comeback of all, a return to the

White House.

This is Checks and Balance.

I'm John Frodo, the economist's US editor, each week we take one big theme shaping American

politics and explore it in depth.

Today Ken Republicans complete the pivot to make theirs the party of the working class.

Donald Trump emerged from Perda at the Conservative political action conference CPAC, meeting

of party activists.

Despite leading Republicans to a series of defeats, Trump's control of the party remains near complete.

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