The interminable term of a president who already has his place among the worst in American history is drawing to a close. The cleaning will be long and arduous.
A common expression in the Trump era is ” Elect a clown. Expect has circus. (Elect a clown. Expect a circus.)
Trump was elected. The circus has passed. Americans – and all those who believe in democracy – must learn the right lessons so that they do not fall back into the trap.
An announced circus
As for a circus that we see and feel coming, the main lines of this extraordinary presidency were foreseeable as early as 2016.
We knew that Donald Trump would think only of himself, that he would tirelessly seek to monopolize attention, that he would test the limits of authoritarianism by running his administration like a family business and – he said it. himself – that he would refuse to accept any electoral defeat.
We knew that this businessman with multiple bankruptcies would prove incompetent, that he would not hesitate to use his position to enrich himself, that he would mock unwritten norms and that he would circumvent the rules. written standards if we let him. We let him do it.
We knew that his vision of a soulless national interest and an exercise of power without ethical guidelines would lead to a deterioration of the internal and external political climate. Americans’ confidence in their institutions has reached an all-time low, and so has the international leadership of the United States.
We knew that his xenophobic discourse with racist overtones would allow undesirable groups to assert themselves. One could anticipate that his glorification of force would encourage his supporters to resort to violence, with the tragic consequences that we saw on January 6 and that we fear for tomorrow.
” The Greatest Show on Earth “
Like the circus that is shaping up to be the biggest show in the world, Trump boasts of being the best president in history, among other rantings.
It was not all black during the Trump years. There has been no new war, although the old ones continue. Elsewhere, existing tensions have not erupted, but they remain very worrying.
The economy was doing well before the pandemic, but it was outrageously unequal growth, financed by elephantine deficits. The astronomical bill of the crisis will weigh for decades to come and it is far from certain that the better off will pay their fair share.
For the rest, Trump has lived up to expectations: incompetence, scandals, corruption, nepotism, abuse of power, lark.
The last lap is revealing, with the dismal failure of the start of anti-COVID vaccinations, the “Big Lie” of a rigged election believed by millions of Americans, which has driven many to violence, and the final round of nauseating presidential pardons scheduled for today.
Trump has lost and his circus must quit.
How to explain that 74 million Americans enjoyed the show to the point of asking for a recall? Why was a man raised to the presidency who would not dare to be used as an example to children?
Lasting traces
The challenge of understanding the Trumpists is quite modest compared to the challenge of getting rid of the lies that the illusionist Trump made them swallow. However, it will be necessary to put an end to the illusions to patch up a democratic and republican political system worthy of these epithets.
Trump’s Big Circus dismantles its marquee, but it will not leave the minds of those who have gotten carried away by its noxious conception of politics and who may wish for its return.
The circus is leaving. The mess it leaves behind will have to be cleaned up. Even if we succeed, some odors will persist for a long time.
