If you are an optimist, and you therefore assume that Trump won’t win and declare himself dictator for life, the GOP will need a new candidate in 2028. The reactionary base, which currently belongs solely to Trump, will be in play for the first time in twelve years. Who will inherit Trump’s followers the next time around?
It won’t be DeSantis–he’s already burned too many bridges. It won’t be Ramaswamy, even though he is ideologically compatible, because he’s too annoying and too Indian. It won’t be Trump’s female VP; the base thinks women in America have way too much power over men already. It won’t be anyone from the Class of 2016; they’re too old and too untrustworthy. Who is left?
I see three potential winners here: Tom Cotton, who gives Trumpism an authoritarian twist that will go over well with a certain element of the base; Josh Hawley, who actually supports a populist economic program that should appeal to white workers; and Don Jr. If the base wants a monarchy, and it might, Don Jr. could be a serious contender.