A Bang or a Whimper?

Given that Trump appears to be gradually losing the support of his base (“smaller rallies, shrinking base”), one has to wonder what’s next. Presuming that no indictments are unsealed over the coming months, will Trump simply drift into oblivion, and cease to be an element of importance in U.S. politics?

The percentage of Republicans who say they think “very highly” of Trump fell from 72% to 53% over a period of just the last few months.  Congressional Republicans are reported to be tired of having to maintain the “Big Lie” and simply want to move on, back to the days before the GOP was associated with deceit, irrationality, and, of course, blatant criminality.

Keep in mind, however, that most pundits believe it’s not if criminal charges will be brought against Trump, but when. The latest news is that two days after election day on November 3rd, 2020, before the votes were fully counted and the election called, the former president’s son assured then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows via a series of text messages that team Trump had complete “operational control” over the outcome of the election.  A former U.S. attorney referred to this as a “smoking gun.”

Bang or whimper?  Too early to say.