Don Rechtman

USA, Music composer, copy editor

Many U.S. and global citizens are expressing sighs of relief over the end of the Trump presidency, but their inclination to relax may be premature: Trumpism will live on.

The consequence of Trump’s four short years in office that made it seem to be much longer is his successful laying bare of the 400-year-old institutional racism that exists in the Americas. Having been thus exposed, it is not going away any time soon. Trumpism is just another word for institutional racism.

Many U.S. citizens still refuse to admit it exists or has ever existed. As a consequence of Trump’s missteps, right-wing separatist and white supremacist individuals and groups such as the Proud Boys are emboldened to conspire to create violence, spurred on by the belief that theirs is the majority view of life in the U.S.

The FBI has already warned that these separatists and supremacists constitute the greatest terroristic threat to the ethical values and quality of life in today’s United States.

It is uncertain how much longer the acute threats to government institutions will remain. It is not unreasonable to presume that out of the 73 million who voted for Trump, millions are able and willing to take up arms in support of future insurrections. As to the chronic, long lasting threats, it is unlikely that the Biden administration will take the necessary steps to remove the underlying causes that are known to encourage terroristic behavior.

China has focused on humanitarian assistance as a way to quell domestic terrorism; considering the lack of terrorist attacks over the past few years, it has at least appeared to be proven to be effective.

In sharp contrast, the U.S.’s approach to terrorism has always been a military response, and we’re now seeing their results in the form of domestic violence.

I hope the progressive arm of Congress can sway Biden’s administration to create the “New Deal” necessary to end domestic terrorism. Unfortunately, the 400-year-old history of institutional racism suggests that this is not likely to happen any time soon.