Why Defeating Trump Is Not a Return to Normalcy
The liberal obsession with Trump masks deeper systemic failures and class antagonisms.
1The Illusion of Relief
Many observers view the defeat of Donald Trump as a restoration of democratic normalcy. However, this perspective ignores that Trump is a symptom of a deeper systemic disintegration. The liberal establishment celebrates a return to order, yet this relief obscures the fundamental social antagonisms that allowed populist movements to gain significant traction.
2Trump as a Fetish
In psychoanalytic terms, Trump has been elevated to a fetishistic status by his opponents. Liberals focus obsessively on his figure to avoid confronting the underlying class struggles within American society. By demonizing him, the establishment ignores how its own policy failures and systemic weaknesses created the space for his rise to power.
3The Liberal Gaze
Hegel noted that evil resides in the gaze that sees evil everywhere. The liberal obsession with Trump functions as a mechanism to repress the reality of class antagonism. By framing the political landscape as a battle against one individual, the establishment avoids addressing the systemic roots of racism, sexism, and ecological crisis.
4The Myth of Unity
Inauguration rhetoric, such as Amanda Gorman’s poem, promotes a fantasy of national unity that masks deep societal cracks. This call to put differences aside is inherently ideological. It suggests that if we ignore our divisions, the problems Trump represents will vanish, effectively erasing the reality of the deep fractures within the nation.
5Bernie Sanders as Discord
During the inauguration, Bernie Sanders stood out as a figure of discord, embodying skepticism toward the staged spectacle of unity. His presence signaled that the world spirit of our time is not found in liberal consensus, but in the growing awareness that radical change is necessary to address the current political reality.
6The Failure of Normality
There is no pre-Trump normality to which we can return. Trumpian populism did not arrive like a comet; it emerged like lava from a crack in the Earth. It is the direct result of the collapse of the liberal consensus and the inability of the Left to provide a viable, radical alternative.
7Living Within a Lie
Václav Havel described the communist system as being sustained by ordinary people performing rituals they knew to be false. Today, the liberal order faces a similar crisis. Mark Carney suggests we must take down our signs, yet the current global powers are abandoning the rules-based order because it no longer guarantees their hegemony.
8The Rules-Based Order
The international rules-based order was never truly neutral. It privileged Western powers by controlling sea lanes and financial systems while neutralizing threats from underdeveloped states. Now that these rules no longer serve their interests, the major powers are discarding the very frameworks they once championed, leading to a period of chaotic economic warfare.
9Morbid Phenomena Emerging
As the old liberal order disintegrates, we are witnessing the rise of morbid phenomena. These include new forms of fascism, techno-feudalism, and colonial land grabbing. The current trajectory of history appears to be moving toward self-destruction, driven by ecological collapse, the uncontrolled advancement of artificial intelligence, and the threat of global military conflicts.
10Radical Division Required
To effectively challenge populism, we must replace the false division between the establishment and Trump followers with a more radical one. This involves uniting emancipatory forces against the establishment itself. Focusing on actual class antagonisms is the only way to demonstrate that the populist division is a false, distracting narrative.
11Confronting the Future
The defeat of Trump deprives the public of a convenient fetish, forcing a confrontation with the true struggles ahead. We must abandon the ecstatic hope for a return to the past. Instead, we must critically examine the weaknesses of the liberal project and prepare for the radical changes that our era demands.
Original article: The New European — Why Defeating Trump Is Not a Return to Normalcy