Thanks to populism, we're witnessing the end of Western civilization, though its demise won't be noticed by most people because the surface trappings will be retained. Trump was merely the USA's cancerous symptom of a global malaise, a toxic mix of populism and mass media sensation-mongering. Brexit, Modi, Bolsonaro, Orban, Babis, Le Pen, AfD, Putin, Erdogan, and so many more are all the products of representative democracy - a hopelessly flawed notion that Plato pointed out more than 2,500 years ago invariably leads to tyranny because far too many ordinary citizens will forever be incapable of even the most rudimentary reason. Trump will return in 2024, cheered by the tens of millions of dull-eyed howling empty-heads the GoP cynically relies on for its power base. And no one, least of all the craven McConnell and his ilk, has sufficient intelligence to see where it's all heading. All they see is votes, because stupid weak people never see the obvious even when it's right in front of them. Vermin like Trump et al are the ultimate product of representative democracy, and we shouldn't really be very surprised.