Eight years after his rise, the fact that the Trump era hasn’t run its course is the biggest political story of the year
IFglobal politics was show business, the last year would have ranked as B-List: bewitched, bedeviled, and befuddled, to be precise.
Begin with the bewitched: Like a cobra mesmerized by a snake charmer, the Republicans seem utterly transfixed by Donald Trump who is on a glide path to the 2024 nomination, despite a ream of indictments and the yappings of political rivals.
Trump’s possible return — made increasingly likely by Joe Biden’s disastrous poll numbers — remains the organizing principle of American politics. It dictates that the Democrats stick with an aging Biden for his record of beating Trump. It also has international ramifications: both Russia and Ukraine, for example, are aware that the former president is no fan of the open checkbook approach to Kyiv, and that knowledge alone will factor in military planning.
Eight years after his rise, the fact that the Trump era hasn’t run its course is the biggest political story of the year. It will lead either to four more years of populism in the White House, or to an avoidable GOP loss to Biden’s Democrats.
Create a free account to keep reading.
