What happens after Donald Trump is gone

| 11:00 pm EDT July 4, 2020
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With Donald Trump’s campaign faltering, four more years of a Trump America seem less and less likely. A question I’ve been thinking about lately is this: What happens to the GOP after Trump? Well, to start, there’s been buzz about Ivanka or Don Jr. running. If the GOP doesn’t fundamentally change in the next few years, then in my view, both are possible candidates. However, I think the party will change, and not for the better.

If the GOP has learned one thing from the grotesque experiment that is the Trump presidency, it is that much of the hoi polloi are down to tango with demagogues. From the GOP’s perspective, then, who is the prickliest of all the demagogues at their disposal? They would need an insider who’s familiar, radical, trusted, and, most importantly, an exceptional asshole. Enter Tucker Carlson.

Politico reports the following: “Republican strategists, conservative commentators, and former Trump campaign and administration officials are buzzing about Carlson as the next-generation leader of Donald Trump’s movement — with many believing he would be an immediate frontrunner in a Republican primary. ‘He’s a talented communicator with a massive platform. I think if he runs he’d be formidable.’”

It is worth thinking about this now. The Murdochization of a political party is not without precedent. We already got Trump, but just think: Fox News has so deeply penetrated the social and political domains in America that an actual mouthpiece for Rupert Murdoch could feasibly become president someday. That should frighten everybody.

Take from this what you will, but I think the solution to this problem is clear: new media must be held accountable and must accurately portray that which they report. Laws and policies at the state and federal levels must adequately address these imperatives. This needs to be one of Congress’ top priorities. We cannot allow Fox and others to continue masquerading lies as truth in the living rooms of hundreds of millions of Americans. The brainwashing must end. This practice laid the foundation for Trump’s house of bullshit.

This Fourth of July weekend, reflect on what it means, or at least should mean to be American. Virtually all of us have immigrant ancestors or are immigrants ourselves. We value justice. We value opportunity. We aspire to be honorable and accountable. We believe in a better future for ourselves, our offspring, and the generations of Americans after us who we will never meet. Now imagine how impossible it would be to accomplish any of our aspirations with Tucker Carlson as president.