Donald Trump is politically dead, but he himself has not yet noticed. His supporters don’t know that either.
Trump died politically on Wednesday, Jan.6 at 2:33 p.m. when, at his instigation, insurgents entered the Capitol. Trump has been a ghost ever since.
He haunts the corridors of a deserted White House.
He can no longer communicate directly with his supporters.
The day after tomorrow, he will no longer hold any official post.
The new hearings to remove him should drive the last nails to his coffin.
As if that wasn’t enough, several fraud trials await him. And Joe Biden’s team are likely to uncover various shenanigans that have so far eluded the public.
Real problem
The real problem lies in Trump’s electoral legacy.
Upon taking office in 2016, Trump received significant political capital inherited from the Tea Party and middle class discontent. This political capital, Trump made it fruitful.
Many Americans still do not understand that they are impoverished by a system of redistribution that outrageously benefits a very small number of extremely wealthy people. On the contrary, they are campaigning for a strengthening of measures based on the law of the jungle, from carrying an unrestricted weapon to the abolition of all health insurance measures.
In their minds, unscrupulous billionaires like Donald Trump are on their side. Those who seek to establish a more just society are only dangerous communists.
Trump convinced these uneducated people that governing was a matter of personal beliefs. That the real facts didn’t matter. That all the politicians, all the commentators and all the media were lying.
Who will take up the torch? Who will know how to speak to these Trumpist voters?
Sulphurous heritage
Trump’s children risk ending up on trial. Trump is unlikely to succeed in founding a political dynasty.
The Republican Party is split into two unequal groups that hate each other: the pro-Trump and the anti-Trump. The latter form nearly 20% of Republican voters, but their contribution is essential to win elections.
Above all, the pro-Trump have been dumped by several economic elites, from the owners of the big digital platforms to the big banks. These elites eventually understood how far Republican anarchist policies could take them.
Trump’s legacy is real in terms of voters, but sulphurous.
The Republican Party absolutely must find a strong new leader who can both reunite the party and reassure the economic elites. This implies the discreet abandonment of several parts of Trump’s legacy.
Who could do it? At the moment, we can’t see anyone.
In the meantime, Biden will have a hard time undoing Trump’s policies on health, immigration, environment, etc., without hordes of Trumpists taking to the streets.