As I’ve noted innumerable times before, the foundation of today’s GOP is an unwritten agreement by which PBPs get tax cuts and deregulation for business, and Reactionaries get socially conservative judges and inflammatory culture wars rhetoric. Trump has delivered in spades on both sides of the bargain, which is why he retained such strong support among Republican voters in November in spite of his inept and uncaring response to the pandemic. His ideas on most domestic issues, including climate change, the environment, relations between business and labor, inequality, affirmative action, support for Christianity, and immigration are completely within the mainstream of the GOP.
These elements of Trumpism will be carried forward by the party’s next leader, regardless of who it is.