He’s not the only one responsible for the mess we’re in. History never works that cleanly. But he is the face of it. The mascot. The loud, smirking permission slip for cruelty, ignorance, and the kind of shamelessness that used to at least pretend it knew better.

What he did and continues to do, what he normalized and continues to normalize, didn’t end with him. That’s the part that keeps me awake. He didn’t invent the ugliness, but he flung the doors wide open and invited it to settle in, to get comfortable, to stop whispering and start shouting. Things people once felt embarrassed to say out loud are now worn like badges. Fear became a blatant political tool. Lies became a strategy. Decency became less than optional, a disadvantage.

And the damage isn’t just policy or headlines. It seeped into families, workplaces, friendships. It taught people that empathy is weakness and that winning matters more than truth. It tells the cruel they are righteous and the ignorant they are experts. It makes exhaustion the background noise of daily life.

Long after he’s gone, long after the name fades from yard signs and news chyrons, we’ll still be dealing with the consequences. Re-teaching basic facts. Re-building trust. Reminding each other that being human requires effort, restraint, and care.

I don’t believe one man can destroy everything. But I do believe one man can accelerate the rot, can legitimize the worst impulses of millions, can make things harder for everyone who still wants to live with some measure of kindness and sanity.

That’s the inheritance we’ll be left with. Not just what he does, but what he makes acceptable. And undoing that will take longer than any term, longer than any lifetime headline.

I look forward to a day we don’t see his vulgar influence. That will be a day for celebrating. 

#doodle #apartyiscoming