I think the US has already passed the point of no return. The US as a Democracy won’t disappear tomorrow, maybe not for another 20 years, but I suspect the damage Trump has done is irreparable.
Consider what is really required to prevent Trump 2.0:
Wide-spread electoral reform. Especially wrt finances. Currently it is way too easy to pump money into the US electoral system, which again makes it way too easy for external forces to influence results. I’m not really seeing any credible political movement to curb the influence of money in politics, so I doubt this problem is going to disappear.
Decisive reigning-in of the executive aka shoring up of the democratic institutions. I strongly doubt this will happen. The Democrats may make some gestures in this direction once they are in power, but more likely the sentiment will be “why should we limit ourselves when the Republicans didn’t?” (as has already been argued), and actual effective reforms will be non-existent. Moreover, there is no way to institute reforms here that a GOP-controlled Congress/Senate cannot undo.
Responsible electorate. This doesn’t exist. In a world with a rational electorate, the GOP would not survive what they have been doing for the past years (essentially aiding and abetting treason, while destroying the lives of their electorate for their own enrichment). But people are stupid, and the electorate has no memory. The Democrats may win in 2 years time, but by 2028 or 2032, you’ll have a GOP-controlled government again.
And next time, the GOP won’t be so stupid.
Imagine a Trump who was not a moron. Who didn’t commit treason in the most obvious of ways, who didn’t needlessly antagonize, and - most importantly - who actually understood how government works, so that he doesn’t waste political capital on moves that serve zero purpose other than to create outrage. Imagine a Trump with actual charisma. I think that person would have carried out pretty much every one of Trump’s campaign promises right now and been pretty sure of a second term. And that person (or more likely - several of that type), are sitting somewhere in the US right now, taking notes from the Trump presidency. Worse - imagine a a person who actually understands the mechanisms of populism; understands that it can make sense to squeeze moneyed interests in the short-term, for long-term gains and power (i.e., an American Putin).
Considering how poorly the institutions of democracy have stood against the whirlwind of incompetence that Trump represents, I really doubt that it will withstand a deliberate, intelligent attempt to destroy it. And the latter will come at some point in the future.
