The United States registered a new record for COVID-19 deaths in a single day, Congress gathered to certify the election results and white nationalists just so happened to riot in the Capitol all on the same day. The outrage over President Donald Trump’s handling of both the pandemic and civil unrest is currently at its peak. Calls for impeachment are filling headlines and radio airtime with only days left until Trump leaves the White House. Impeachment talk has appeared several times during Trump’s presidency, often enough to be coined a “witch hunt” by him and his supporters. But despite recurrent controversy, Trump has remained in office during his four years. How likely is his momentum to survive President Elect Joe Biden’s?
Before the election, as the country prepared for the possibility (and eventual rejection) of a second Trump term, many people discussed if Trumpism would survive Trump. After all, what is Trumpism without its namesake? Surely, its existence predates him. During his campaign in 2016, Trump repeated the slogan “Drain the Swamp,” alluding to corruption in the government, which appealed to enough voters to secure his election. Dislike of the federal government has brewed since its founding, but the breach of the Capitol suggests a shift. Previous insurrections have certainly taken place and succeeded, though not on the scale of Wednesday’s. What is unique, perhaps, is that the call came from inside. It was the president who incited the riot on his own government. Trump’s greatest assault on his adversaries was not carried out by him but his supporters. With his words, they acted. This is a pattern seen most apparent in his last year in office.
When COVID-19 emerged, Trump repeatedly downplayed the contagion. Don’t be worried about the virus, be upset about lockdowns. His inaction on the front of a global pandemic contrasted with his supporters impassioned protests on lockdowns. How little did Trump need to do for his supporters to show up armed at the Michigan capitol? The anti-vax movement and anti-government rhetoric predate Trump but there’s no denying their growth under his presidency. Maybe his legacy is combining these groups, providing each of them with a common enemy and common goal.
The problem with Trumpism post-presidency is that Trump is not guaranteed the same platform or access to power he’s had. If he truly is a figurehead, then the movement may fizzle out without his leadership. The greatest test of Trumpism’s endurance might not be sedition but vaccination. With the two groups feeding into each other’s beliefs, maybe they won’t need Trump anymore. Whether or not he has a platform post-presidency, they certainly will, and it’s inevitable people will need vaccines. Trump supporters will have a yearly reminder of the “hoax” virus every flu season. How will Biden convince people to get vaccinated without triggering accusations of tyranny? The two go hand in hand and now they’re mainstream enough that healthcare professionals are hesitant towards the vaccine as well.
Trumpism will survive the Biden administration, it just won’t be called Trumpism. It is a term originating in a half-baked attempt to isolate extremist behavior to Trump’s presidency — a political pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey … The question shouldn’t be “Will they survive a Biden presidency?” The question should be: “How can they not?”
