After reviewing the available data, I predict Donald Trump will win the presidency, but I am also predicting it will not make much difference when it comes to the long, slow, downhill slide of the United States. Even if the Republicans sweep both houses of congress, they will only be able to slow the slide, not a reverse it. It is too late for one man or one administration to reverse what has been happening since the Clinton Administration.
The biggest positive I see is that Trump will nominate lots of conservative judges, appoint better federal prosecutors, and (hopefully) put an end to lawfare. He will curtail the green new deal and drop out of the Paris climate accord, but unless we see 12 consecutive years of conservative presidents, one term won’t do much to change our path.
Trump will not be able to make wholesale changes fast enough. For example, will he be able to eliminate entire departments in the executive branch? Or throw out top people at the FBI, the DOJ, the ATF, and the EPA? Can he cut our spending and reduce the deficit? Don’t hold your breath.
I think a Kamala Harris presidency would accelerate the country’s moral and financial decline, increase the likelihood of global war, and undermine the constitutional rights we enjoy as citizens—from free speech and freedom from censorship to the right to own guns to the right to privacy. While we would be better off with Kamala kicked into the dustbin of history, a Trump victory will not be the panacea some expect because he will face an uphill battle against the entrenched bureaucracy. It is hard to change the government’s momentum in just four years, especially when it is actively working against you.
Momentum
One thing working against Trump—and anyone else who wants to change the country’s course—is momentum. We are moving the wrong direction on many levels, and public institutions like the Department of Education and public schools helped set the stage and push leftist propaganda on children are a big part of that problem. Colleges and universities reinforce them and made liberal thinking difficult to escape. A new president might be able to prevent transgender kids from playing on girls’ teams, but four years won’t change what and how kids are taught, nor by whom.
Likewise, economic policies that have been in place since 2008 brought us inflation; Trump may lower the cost of energy, but it’s going to be harder to bring down interest rates (which are set by the Federal Reserve) and stop rising food prices. He can streamline things, eliminate some regulations, implement tariffs, and take other steps, but it will take time to effect change and barriers will be thrown up in his path.
In short, don’t expect a miracle. At best, his election will be a reprieve, not a reversal.
In the same vein, should Kamala win, what she can accomplish will be somewhat limited, especially if the Republicans retain control of the Senate. We have seen the courts stop multiple Biden administration and DOJ plans, from college loan forgiveness to infringements on the Second Amendment. In fact, the executive branch of the government is so aggressive in its use of executive actions and over-regulation, the courts are more important than congress in restraining government overreach. But it can take years for a challenge to fight its way through multiple layers of courts before the matter is finally settled. We may not have years.
Game Changers
There are some things Trump can do that may be game changers, and bringing in Elon Musk to help cut spending would be one. Of course, Trump’s actions will generate outrage and lawsuits. Expect everything Trump does to be tried first in the court of public opinion and second in the most liberal circuit courts the leftists can find. Expect him to lose opening rounds, not only in the media, but in the courts, but prevail later. Of course, “later” maybe too late.
We can hope Trump has learned from his first time in office. I have learned from it also, and know not to take everything he says seriously. He may want to eliminate taxes on tips and social security, but will he be able to do so? Only if Congress agrees.
I’m sure he would like to end the Ukrainian war in the first 24 hours of his presidency, just as he says, but he’ll need cooperation from Putin and Zelensky. What are the odds of that?
Likewise, Trump can threaten and bluster, but will Iran, North Korea and China be intimidated? Not as likely today as it was eight years ago. He’ll need more than the art of the deal to minimize the military threats we face and the likelihood that the U.S. will be embroiled in a global war in the next few years.
I think he will have an immediate impact on our border policy, but it will be easier to keep new illegals out than it will be to kick out the ones who were invited in under Biden. That damage is already done.
Hate and Bitterness
One thing the left has going for them is their ability to generate hate and a visceral reaction from the useful idiots who blindly follow them. If Trump wins, I expect they will leverage it to stir up dissent and trouble at home. The merchants boarding up their glass windows in Washington, D.C., appear to agree.
I read that 74 percent of Americans expect civil unrest after Election Day, and I am in that majority. (At least we can all agree on something.) If you live in a major city where protests, riots, and looting have broken out in the past, you best prepare for it again. Prepare also for organized criminal groups to take advantage of protests to commit other crimes. For example, while the police are manning barricades downtown, expect retail theft to jump. It will also be an opportunity for home invasions, ATM robberies, and other crimes. Be careful. Stay home, and be prepared.
Regardless of who wins the election, there are plenty of reasons to keep prepping. Prep for violence in the next few months. Prepare for war in the next few years, and prep for a financial collapse—which could include more inflation or even hyperinflation. Monitor the news to better understand and avoid future threats, be prepared to defend yourself at home or when out in public, have a plan for bugging in and bugging out, build your individual economic strength, and diversify your holdings. Practice and build your skills, stockpile food, build your friendships, and find people you can rely on. When the SHTF, it will all help.
You called it!