What Will Happen to U.S. Institutions and Society After Donald Trump's Presidency Ends

We reflect on the post-Trump era—on how American democracy, which has been torn down to its very foundations, will be rebuilt, and why the restoration of American democracy is important for Western and Eastern Europe.

No matter how much Donald Trump might want to declare himself immortal, he won’t be president forever. Sooner or later, his unpopularity will catch up with him. The question facing The United States and the rest of the world, which obediently fell in line with Trump in the hope of not losing Washington’s favor and copied his policy shifts: how to rebuild institutions and society as a whole after such destruction and corruption?

Unprecedented damage

The United States has never faced such widespread destruction of its institutions. Usually, when power shifts from one party to another, it’s merely a matter of reversing previous policies, but with the Trump administration, the situation is completely abnormal. In less than a year, he and his supporters have gutted the government, firing thousands of nonpartisan federal employees and politicizing science beyond recognition. World-renowned experts were forced to leave their posts if they were deemed insufficiently loyal to Trump. The Ministry of Justice had turned into a “retribution merry-go-round,” saved only by the utter incompetence of those who sought to carry out orders.

The disruption was not limited to internal management: The U.S.'s reputation abroad has been completely ruined. The country's leader's words are now associated with xenophobia, selfishness, and capriciousness. Trump has used his position to to provide for his family, and this was no secret. Those who provided financial assistance to the Trump family could to hope for a pardon. Furthermore, even people who have gone through all the proper procedures to obtain citizenship, were abducted for deportation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents right inside courthouses, even though they were acting in accordance with the law.

A Generation of Renewal

The restoration of government agencies, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as the resumption of cutting-edge research that was rejected by the Trump administration, is expected to will take an entire generation. And that's just to get things back to the way they were—if that's even possible.

However, the more important question is what can be done to strengthen institutions so that they do not so easily drift toward authoritarianism. This is a colossal task, especially in a deeply divided country. Some scholars have proposed conducting the new "Reconstruction", similar to the one that rebuilt America after the Civil War.

Are the Democrats willing to punish people for their crimes?

The key issue on the agenda is: To what extent are Democrats willing to hold those who served in the Trump administration accountable for their actions?

Sources cite examples of egregious violations of the law that characterize the Trump administration. Among them is Pete Hegset, who reportedly ordered the killing of survivors of attacks on boats allegedly carrying drugs, which by any measure is a war crime. Another example is Tom Homan, Chief of the Border Patrol, regarding who was under investigation for a $50,000 bribe, which was shut down by the Trump Justice Department. In addition, Homan's subordinates committed violations of human rights and due process.

If there are no consequences, criminals have no reason to stop when the opportunity arises in the future. The fact that Trump was not held accountable for the January 6 insurrection (thanks to the Republicans in the Senate, who showed cowardice) paved the way for even more serious actions.

Amid the daily flurry of events, it’s hard to think about the long term. Nevertheless, it’s clear that future elections will be about more than just policy issues; they’ll be about what democracy will look like after Trump—and whether it will survive at all.