It’s just after 4 a.m. on the East Coast as I post this, and I haven’t been able to sleep because it’s now clear that Donald Trump will again be president of the United States.

While it hasn’t yet been officially called by the AP or others, Trump sits at 267 Electoral College votes, with AK and its three electoral votes the only thing standing between him and victory. I suspect by the time the sun breaks over the Atlantic Ocean, Trump will have been declared the winner, with as many as 312 electoral votes.

What has become of this country?

Tens of millions of my supposedly “fellow” Americans consciously chose a demagogue and the vile hatred he and his followers represent. They knew the nastiness he offered, and they wanted it.

I admit that in my heart of hearts I was hoping for a Harris landslide, a blowout victory that repudiated MAGA politics. Instead, Trump has solidified his grasp on this country (when you’re a star, they let you do it).

Don’t ever tell me again this country isn’t deeply racist and misogynistic.

This election was about power: Who has it, who wields it, and who benefits from it.

Americans voted for their own self-interest: To keep themselves at the top of the food chain.

They understand that being a white male makes you untouchable, and being a white female confers the privilege of white men upon you.

A significant number of Latino voters also aligned themselves with Trump, perhaps out of a misguided attempt at self preservation, but equally likely out of an anti-immigrant “fuck you, I got mine” mentality.

I’ve seen a lot of people on Mastodon (and I’m guessing across most social media) saying they’ll fight Trump for the next four years.

Cool cool cool.

What makes them think he’ll allow that fight? Where will they take it? The courts? The press? Congress? The streets?

They have a lot of faith in the strength of institutions he’s pledged to destroy—or which have already capitulated well before his election.

The Supreme Court has granted him immunity. The press already has demonstrated deference. Congress will be a feckless lapdog. And protesters in the streets are likely to be met with a military presence—whether it’s U.S. military or Trump’s “Proud Boys.”

After what we’ve observed over the last decade+, and especially what Trump and his MAGA party have done and said they’ll do, what reason is there to believe he won’t shut down any protesters, with intimidation if not violence? We’ve seen it already.

And here’s a truth: Those with the energy to fight are often the ones who can just walk away from that fight without consequence.

The rest of us who can’t “blend in” are tired of having our souls crushed by an America we thought had our backs.

I’ve also seen people trotting out “we are better than this” and “this is not who we are”.

Bullshit.

It’s time to retire both phrases. We’ve proven we’re not “better than this.” We’ve shown this is “who we are.”

It’s been true for a long while, but there was always some amount of plausible deniability. It’s pretty damn hard to deny it now after this electoral outcome.

On January 20, 2025, Donald Trump gets sworn in for the second time. On that day, I expect The Great American Experiment will come to an end.

Seventy-five days.