I review a Never Trump, by Robert P. Saldin and Steven M. Teles. The book does well in capturing conservative intellectuals’ thought process in 2016.

Before November, opposition to Mr. Trump could be thought of as having little cost. Because no one expected him to win, the question for intellectuals was how best to position themselves for the aftermath of his defeat.

In 1965, Robert Novak wrote a book called The Agony of the GOP, 1964. It was about the Goldwater movement’s takeover of the Republican Party that year. That resulted in an immediate electoral disaster, but without long-term damage to the Republicans. 2016 may have been the reverse.