What Happens After
Donald Trump is Gone?

The Divide That Trump and His Ilk Have Caused Will Not Disappear Just Because He Does

 

A little over two months ago, I wrote my last piece that directly discussed Trump’s presidency. In that article, I said I was done writing about the bilious ham-sack known as Donald Jodorowsky Trump, barring “a significant public scandal or substantial motion by members of Congress… that would almost certainly lead to Trump’s resignation or impeachment.” Well, guess the fuck what? We’re there.

Seriously, name anything in my possession or affixed to my body and I will wager it on this: due to either his baldfaced firing of FBI Director James Comey or the findings of special counsellor Robert Mueller, Donald Trump will not see out his four year term as president. And I know, it’s not the ballsiest call in the world to make when you put that sort of timeframe on it, but I’m trying to be practical here. I’m firmly convinced that Trump’s days are numbered, but the road to impeachment is long and fucking treacherous, littered on both sides with people in a position to impede and obstruct its process who have a vested interest in doing so.

But, honestly, we’ve reached saturation point with news detailing Trump’s endless leaks, controversies and malfeasance, as well as thoughts on how and when he might be ousted. I’m not here to talk about that. Here’s my deepest concern, as of now: when the inevitable comes (and if you’re a Trump loyalist, let’s be delusionally generous and say that’s in eight years time) and Donald Trump is no longer President of the United States… then what? How does the fractured American populace of today reconcile itself when – short of the Civil War – the largest wedge in history has rendered them in two?

I mean you’ve heard all the jokes before, I’m sure. “At this point, Trump could [example of insane thing] and still not lose his core base.” Fuck, Trump himself said this on the campaign trail: “I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn’t lose any voters.” Haha, fucking kill me, huh? Because, all hyperbole aside, he’s right! Plagued by scandal after scandal, Trump still enjoys an approval rating of 84% from those who voted him in. Yeah, there’s been something of a backslide from those who “strongly approve” to those who now simply “approve”, but that’s kind of like finding a finger in your Big Mac and deciding to just get a Quarter Pounder next time instead.

And it’s not just the huddled masses who are refusing to jump ship. Beyond the unfeasibly spineless Republican meat puddles that makes up the Congressional Majority, there are still dozens of high-profile pundits – to say nothing of Fox News – backing Trump, continuing to decry the mainstream media and reports of his wrong-doings as “fake news”. See, there’s a point of no return for supporting this dude that was, oh, let’s say back when he said “grab her by the pussy“. Or when he mocked a disabled reporter. Or, fuck it, back when he announced his run for president and decried Mexican immigrants as “drug dealers” and “rapists”.

When you’ve endorsed such a heinous figure for very, very dubious reasons for so long, you become anchored to them. The credibility of someone with a public platform who throws their weight behind Trump is inextricably tied up in his successes and failures. And, by the way, I don’t mean credibility in the objective sense but, rather, how much they have within the context of their followers. People like Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson have approximately zero pull with any logic-driven human being, so their entire career is based on appealing to those who want to continue believing what they do about Trump without the nuisance of having to apply reason to those beliefs.

Consequently, when you cultivate that sort of viewership, you ensure that you can never escape from the echo chamber you’ve created. I call this the Ann Coulter effect. In recent interviews and on Twitter, conservative pundit and all-round stank-beast Coulter has been delicately questioning Trump’s performance so far and wondering when his many promised policies will kick in. So, what kind of predicament does she now find herself in? On one side, there are the Trump diehards she’s spent the last two years giving voice to, and I can’t imagine they’ll be pleased with her betraying the cause. Then there’s the rest of the world, sarcastically gasping and saying, “Wait! Are you saying this guy might not be… entirely truthful? Get the fuck outta here!”

To recap, you’ve got more than 40% of voting Americans who still see no reason not to support Trump encased in reams of conservative media who will insist with their dying breath that the man is the risen Christ. What, exactly, is the best case scenario if and when the Senate moves to impeach Trump? We’re talking the United States judiciary system functioning at its highest level, where the accused is a man capable of making his followers believe that virtually all of the world’s media is a conspiracy theory aimed at attacking him. I can’t think of a more dangerous or destabilising entity as far as the unity of the country – and maybe even the world – is concerned. It’d be like O.J.’s trial times a fucking million.

Like I said, none of these issues go away when Trump does. You’re still gonna have a scary amount of people that get their news either directly from him – even when he contradicts himself – or from sources that have forsaken the ability to report factually in the interest of confirming their viewers’/readers’ core beliefs. Remember how likely an actual revolt seemed in the wake of Trump losing the election after all his talk of it being “rigged”? That same concern now needs to be applied to his premature removal. Those who support him, or have an incentive to tap into that support, will continue to do so when he’s no longer in power. The only difference being is that they’ll now be on the side of a man proven to be unfit in a world where “proof”, to them, means jack shit.