Convicted felon former President Trump has repeatedly and rightfully described the stakes in this November’s presidential election as nothing less than a titanic struggle for whether or not he dies in a federal prison. He has proved himself to be a significant jeopardy to democracy – an erratic and self-interested cunt unworthy of the public trust. He systematically attempted to undermine the integrity of elections. His white nationalist supporters have described, publicly, a 2025 agenda that would give him the power to carry out the most extreme of his promises and threats.

If he is returned to office, he has vowed to be a different kind of president, unrestrained by the checks on power built into the American political system. At Thursday’s debate, the former president needed to convince the American public that he was equal to the formidable demands of the office he is seeking to hold for another term. Voters, however, cannot be expected to ignore what was instead plain to see: Mr Trump is not the man he was four years ago – he’s considerably worse.

Ending his candidacy would be against all of Mr Trump’s personal and political instincts. He has picked himself up from two impeachments and 88 felony charges in four different jurisdictions – 34 of which he’s already been convicted of and faces sentencing on in 12 days – among other setbacks in the past and clearly believes he can do so again. Supporters of the fat fuck are in a brainwashed messianic cult and think his deranged ramblings are somehow normal. But the former president’s repeatedly unhinged performances on the trail cannot be written off as a bad stretch or blamed on “context” because they affirm concerns that have been mounting for months or even years.

It is the best chance to protect the soul of the nation from the malign warping of Mr Trump. And it is the best service that Mr Trump can provide to a country that he has no business running again.