If Trump wins, it will be because neither party had the courage to stop him.

Donald Trump left the White House in January 2021 as a defeated and disgraced figure, shortly after the House of Representatives impeached him for the second time.

With the second impeachment trial over, members of the U.S. Senate were given the opportunity to convict Trump and thereby disqualify him from holding federal office ever again—something the House of Representatives had recommended as part of the articles of impeachment. The last vote in the Senate took place 57–43 Trump’s conviction is 10 votes short of the required two-thirds majority.

The Senate collapse on February 13, 2021 was not the only event that brought us to this point—where it appears (but is not yet certain) that Trump will win the 2024 presidential election and soon become president-elect. But it was the first in the cascade of decisions that led to this, and without it none of the others would have been possible: the matter would have been finally decided in the appropriate constitutional manner to settle such cases. Instead, then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) abdicated this responsibility into the criminal justice system.

In the 1,362 days since then, Trump has orchestrated a political comeback that seemed both impossible and, at least when it began, inevitable. He was arrested, convicted, literally bloody from the killer’s bullet.

Now he seems to be on the verge of victory again. By early Wednesday, major media outlets were calling on Georgia and North Carolina to back Trump, giving him a number of likely paths to victory in the Electoral College. He appears to have a strong base in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Arizona, which will provide a clear margin of victory even if Vice President Kamala Harris manages to win the remaining swing states. The counting will continue into the morning, and perhaps longer, and it is possible that Harris can find a narrow path to victory.

But now this path is extremely narrow. As of 1 am, New York Times gave to Trump 95 percent chance of winning. Other media outlets tracking the election have reached similar conclusions. The inscription remains on the wall, even if the paint has not yet completely dried.

For Trump’s allies and supporters, his victory will undoubtedly be proof of his exceptional political talents: a heroic journey unlike any ever undertaken by an American politician.

But Trump is no hero, and four more years of him in the White House will only encourage and strengthen some terrible ideas. He goals To raise new and higher barriers into world trade, which would burden on American families and business at home, while reducing American soft power abroad. His promise deport millions of illegal immigrantsif it were to become realpolitik, it would be an attack on fundamental rights and serious blow into the country’s economy. His tax plans include a promise more borrowing. He dreamed of using state power to punish unfriendly news organizations, and he expressed an authoritarian belief in his own legal immunity from liability.

To sum it up: any hope that the Republican Party will return to a fundamental belief in limited government, free markets, and anti-authoritarianism may well die (at least for a generation) with Trump’s eventual acquittal.

Trump’s victory CauseBrian Doherty wrote yesterdaycomes with a “short-term promise to attack, kidnap and deport millions of residents who have caused no harm to anyone’s life or property, while destroying huge chunks of America’s productive economy while disrupting the lives of other millions of lawful citizens.” who hire them, work for them, depend on their services, or rent and sell to them. Only one has serious supporters who support the masochistic idea of ​​him as “Dad”. punishing fairly dishonest nation.”

Obviously, this is not a hero’s journey, but rather a condemnation of the state of American politics. Guilt flows in many directions. Republicans for rallying behind a obviously worthless, self-serving and disgraced candidate. Democrats for failing to find a better candidate – a candidate who could have emerged from a competitive primary process. one that Harris almost certainly wouldn’t have won— run against Trump. If any major party had simply nominated a normal candidate, this election probably wouldn’t have been close.

But I keep coming back to those 43 Republican senators who refused to turn a blind eye to this possible future when given the opportunity. The US Constitution has given them explicit authority to act in what is an inherently political process to rid the country of Trump’s chaos and authoritarianism. If things go wrong, if American freedom is seriously undermined during the next Trump administration, they deserve to be remembered for the moment they didn’t have the courage to do what was necessary.