“The coming days will bring postmortems about the future of Trumpism without Trump. But we should also pay attention to the future of anti-Trumpism, an undeniable political force now searching for an outlet, when its unifying hate figure recedes from the limelight. By fighting the election on character rather than policy, Biden drew on a grand coalition of elite support: Democrats and independents were bolstered by former Trump administration officials and Republican grandees such as Colin Powell. That coalition self-destructed the minute the election result was declared. A group that agrees on the need to defeat Trump has little else in common.”

“Still, a force as powerful as Trumpism doesn’t just vanish—and neither does the political logic underlying anti-Trumpism, even if the constituent elements drift apart. In Britain, the 2016 EU referendum polarized the country around a new axis. Voters coalesced around political identities that cut across traditional party lines. (To indulge in stereotypes, Remainers were for quinoa, recycling, and tearing down statues of slave traders. Leavers were for Remembrance poppies, the Union Jack, and bringing back the death penalty.) Although Britain has now legally left the European Union, those fault lines have not disappeared. When a political affiliation merges with an identity, it becomes deeply emotional. The knot is hard to untangle. For more than a thousand days, Donald Trump held the world’s attention. He demanded that everyone have an opinion on him. He inspired fear and fervor in millions. It was exhausting, but it was also addictive. And it’s difficult to imagine Americans—even those who are happiest to see him defeated—going cold turkey on the high-volume, emotional, Manichean style of politics he represents. When you’re used to fighting enemies, how do you go back to having mere opponents?” – The Atlantic.