So Much For The Resistance

President-elect Trump is offering a radical agenda without much protest from the public

Democracy supposedly ended on November 5th. Liberals confidently predicted a Trump victory would end our country as we know it. They called him the new Hitler and warned their followers that he would impose fascism on this country. One would think these dire threats would put liberals on high alert and make them ready to take to the street if the fascist triumphed.

The Left wasn’t alone in predictions of violent upheavals. Many on the Right predicted a civil war would break out after the election, regardless of the result. There were many who were confident the Left would turn to violence if Trump won. One popular prediction stated the Left would organize large, aggressive demonstrations that would then transform into an attempted coup and inevitable civil conflict. Another observer asserted America would witness at least 1,000 deaths due to political violence as the country descended into chaos over the election.

Instead of riots and terrorism, the public has watched several athletes do the Trump dance on the playing field. There are hardly any protests over Trump’s big win. Rather than launching a coup, Democratic leaders are proudly stating their intent to aid a “peaceful transfer of power” to crowd applause. The country has never been calmer in the last ten years. The idea of a civil war breaking out any time soon is preposterous. Claiming Martians will invade in 2025 is on the same level of seriousness.

It’s worth wondering why people were so wrong about the matter and whether the second Trump term will see any civil disturbances. The next four years may see calm reign supreme over the country as people turn away from politics. We’re no longer in the era of Peak Woke where normies will protest every little thing Trump does. Don’t expect much of a “Resistance” for the second Trump term.

It’s easy to figure out why liberals predicted the end of democracy if Trump wins: it’s standard campaign politics. Fear-mongering in elections is as American as apple pie. What makes the 2024 rhetoric different is its apocalypticism. Michael Dukakis did not warn George H.W. Bush would end democracy if he won the election. Hillary Clinton didn’t even make these hysteric claims in 2016. But Democrats utilized them to maximum extent in 2022 and 2024. They felt the “democracy is at stake” rhetoric helped them in the midterms, so they utilized it again. It didn’t work this time. Democrats didn’t actually believe their own predictions, as can be attested by the happy pictures from Trump’s meeting with Biden, no one trying to overturn the election, and the resignation over Trump’s cabinet picks. Liberals were furious over Trump picking Jeff Sessions for attorney general in 2016 despite him being a well-respected senator. Now, they merely grumble over Matt Gaetz and RFK Jr. being picked for cabinet slots.

The fact Democrats and liberal commentators didn’t believe their own heated rhetoric demoralized their base. Seeing Biden go from calling Trump a Hitler-in-waiting to smiling with him undermined any impetus to take to the street. Their own leaders aren’t bothered by Trump, so why should the average liberal be? In 2016, Trump’s win energized the Left to aggressively push its extremism. This helped bring about Peak Woke. Now, leftists are demoralized and lack the motivation to demonstrate in the real world. There’s even a trend of left-wing influencers losing subscribers in droves right now. Media outlets are preparing for mass layoffs. When Trump won in 2016, the media experienced a boon in business as they whipped up hysteria against the new president. Now, publications and lefty podcasts both suffer liberal demoralization.

The Right’s predictions of civil war are a little more difficult to understand. Why would people be so eager to assert the nation will rise up if your side wins? The answer has little to do with normal politics and everything to do with the Conservative Entertainment Complex. Predictions of civil war don’t motivate people to go to the polls, but they do entertain online audiences. The average person who consumes right-wing content wants to hear that there’s a civil war on the horizon. It’s an exciting prospect that draws them in and offers a fantasy of blowing away libtards without consequence. Some of the civil war predictors even claim it resolves one’s own personal issues in a way hair growth treatments do. For online influencers, it pays to offer predictions of doom and mayhem. Telling people there won’t be a civil war is BORING and risks losing the audience’s attention. It’s more profitable to tell them there will be one. 

Civil war talk is all about influencer wishcasting or audience titillation rather than serious analysis. A sober look at America would reveal we are far from any type of domestic disturbance. But what’s the fun in admitting that?

Plenty of right-wing influencers will continue to prophesy civil war and collapse, regardless of the actual facts of life. It’s what much of the online audience wants to hear, and it’s what many of these influencers want to believe is true. It’s a thrilling prospect to imagine yourself in a war against libtards. It certainly beats the 9-5 and dealing with the nagging wife. Plus, it offers the fantasy of taking absolute power and molding the country in the way you see fit. As long as some right-wingers long for civil war, podcasters will be there to serve the market.

All that aside, the lack of any kind of tumult over Trump’s win affirms two developments I have noticed over the last year. 

One is the detoxification of Trump. While the Democrats and their media allies continued to dub Trump Hitler, the general public warmed up to the Donald. Popular streamers and podcasters did friendly interviews with him. In the past, they would’ve been afraid to even say a nice thing about Trump. Now, they publicly endorse him. Pro athletes have helped make the Trump dance a viral sensation. In 2017, the entirety of the NFL protested Trump over his criticism of Colin Kaepernick kneeling for the National Anthem. A few teams knelt during the anthem to send a message to Trump. In 2024, players feel comfortable to show their love for Trump.

Unlike in the late 2010s, there are few stories of people being physically attacked or losing their jobs just for supporting Trump. It’s more socially acceptable to like him, which is why he got more celebrity endorsements this time around and UFC fights turn into Trump rallies when he shows up. Trump hasn’t been this socially acceptable since he came down the escalator in 2015.

The second trend is that of eroding hyperpoliticization. The public is no longer as glued to politics and news as it was in the late 2010s. News traffic and subscriptions are plummeting. Several big-name outlets have gone under while others did mass layoffs. Facebook and other social media platforms deprioritized political content this decade, letting people consume AI slop instead of real news. There's also the added effect of the decline of major news media and the rise of social media journalism. For better or for worse, the younger generation gets its news from social media.

 There are more things to distract people with, such as sports betting. The practice was legalized late in the first Trump term and exploded after he left office. It’s driven increased ratings for sports and, I suspect, decreased interest in political news. People would rather get updates on which wide receiver is expected to have a big game Sunday instead of who will be the next House Speaker. This is particularly true for young men, who would be the source of any civil conflict. Wars and riots are the purview of young men. If they’re too busy going into debt on FanDuel, they’re not going to join in an uprising over the new president.

Trump hasn’t taken office yet. A lot can change over the next four years, but things are far calmer than they were when he took office in early 2017. Antifa was starting to rear its head, every celebrity was joining the resistance, and normie libs were marching by the millions in the street. None of this has appeared so far. President Trump is now accepted as normal, and most Americans have adjusted to it. That’s a good thing for the Right.

It would be better for our thought leaders to focus more on what Trump can do in the next four years than to pine for a civil war. The latter is just not going to happen.