The 2020 election was a referendum on Trump and not his policies. Thus the defeat of Trump doesn’t mean an end to Trump-ism. This is borne out by the gains the Republicans made in the House election and the likely continuance of their Senatorial majority.
So what is Trump-ism? There is no formal political ideology espoused by the soon to be former president, which makes Trump-ism inherently a populist movement. So, what are the tenants of this movement? Based on my observation over the last 4 years, Trump-ism could be described as America First. In domestic policy this translates into fostering an American Identity over an intersectional view of identity. One consequence of these policies would be an end to open immigration to America in favor of an immigration policy where only persons of means or special talent can immigrate to America. In foreign policy this means the end of the Bretton Woods system in favor of a more economically isolationist and anti-interventionist policy. Without Bretton Woods America would adopt high tariffs on imports and no longer be a major importer of foreign manufactured goods. Another hallmark of this policy is continued energy independence through the use of fracking in spite of the environmental consequences of this technology.
I would expect Americans to debate these issues over the next four years. I also anticipate the Republican party to become more Trump-ist up to the mid-term election in 2022. The question is: what aspects of Trump-ism will the majority of Americans accept and reject?
Quant For The Masses 