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The Day After Trump
Brace Yourself America, Trumpism is not going anywhere
Let’s say he loses. Let’s say he tweets about it for a bit and eventually, reluctantly, starts packing. Let’s say that it all goes by pretty smoothly, that the fear of violent riots will not come true. Some Democrats might feel like the process is complete. They might see Biden’s presidency as a turning point for the whole nation. Some may claim that ‘blind’ Trump supporters came to their senses and saw the light. They would be wrong. Trump might be gone from the White House, but Trumpism would still be very much alive.
Every large public movement, especially a political one, is similar to a volcano. Underneath the surface, major changes are occurring. Rocks melt and change into boiling magma. For months, and years, the heat grows. It builds up and climbs up until eventually, it erupts. Trumpism has been years in the making, but most didn’t realize it until the eruption occurred; Some didn’t realize it even after.
There’s a scene in the movie “Brexit: The Uncivil War” that resonated with me. It happens when PM David Cameron’s advisers are conducting a roundtable survey, asking different people on their view regarding the relationship with the European Union. At a specific moment, hearing how emotional people get when talking about the EU, and how deep their negative view of it is, one advisor looks at his colleague in total shock. “It’s a campaign that has been building for 40 years”, he says, in this key moment of pure realization.
Trump called himself Mr. Brexit and caused a lot of confusion, I think the comparison is clear. Back in 2016, Trump surprised the world. It was later claimed that Democrats underestimated Trump, However, it just might be that not Trump was underestimated but rather the seismic movement that got him elected. Same as with Brexit, Trump was carried upon a movement that was building up for decades. Back in 2016, Rachael, a 34-year-old small business owner from Indiana explained her supporting Trump in the following way:
“I want to change America to serve the people instead of a political system that…
