Vermin

Trumpism has moved beyond just Trump. It's really about the idea that the system is broken and voting for a conventional candidate gets you nowhere. Perhaps that is why the base loves the false bravado, the belligerence and the lying which are appealing instead of seen as flaws.

Even if Trump passed away tomorrow, Trumpism would still be alive and well as it has fused itself to the national consciousness as a way to fight back against a deep state that keeps being sold as the enemy. In reality, these poor people are being duped because the oligarchy is what is really to blame but having someone yell and scream against some other enemy feels good. Trump capitalizes on an anger that has been building for a long while; helped along by social media untruths which will only lengthen the time it takes to cure this illness

It is now much easier for me to understand how authoritarianism makes its way into the political consciousness of a nation and clearly it does not happen overnight. Strawman arguments are required of course and there are plenty of culture war issues which will serve as distraction. 

The idea is to keep the eye on the prize by infusing the voter with the kind of outrage that builds hate; hate for the anyone who stands in the way and who they now feel bold enough to call 'vermin'.