You had seen the fractures. Trump had embarrassed nearly all elite Republican leaders. He’d sicced mobs against some of them. He had strong-armed others. So when he started looking like a loser, they bailed. But you were still shocked when news came across your phone that his own Justice Department was announcing an investigation into his “possibly calling for an insurrection.”
You read an article by a theoretician named Timur Kuran talking about “unanticipated revolution” — where a political leader who seems to have full support suddenly has it evaporate. Given Trump’s near absolute dominance of the Republican Party, you don’t expect what follows.
Trump fires a dozen Justice Department officials until he finds one willing to dismiss the case against him. But even then he looks weaker. Most of the 2028 presidential hopefuls agree that the case should be reopened if they win office. Every Trump maneuver to extend his power through controlling the elections fails. He has lost his juice.
You are not surprised when Trump loses in 2028. He claims election fraud — but even his own party only pays lip service to that theory. The insurrection case is reinstated. You know all this only came about because of a vibrant, risk-taking movement. You continue your work, aware there is much more to do. And you feel proud of your role in all of it.
THE END.
You managed to push out the autocrat! You did not do it alone. Like in real life, many approaches had to work together to get to this point: defending democratic institutions, supporting a vibrant disobedience wing, protecting individuals being targeted, and building alternative visions beyond just “a return to normal.”
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