I've come around to the conclusion that the incompetence was the core motivating force, not a fortunate quirk. If Trump was better at the game he would have played it earlier, built up alliances, built up history, learned to play a political game. He would have had a rolodex full of competent people to do competent things and barter with other competent people. Instead, Trump's competence was in an entirely separate field: "When you're a star they let you do it."

Call it a Kardashian presidency. The animating energy was pure star power, for star power's sake, driven entirely by starfuckers practicing starfuckery. I don't care what you think of Chris Christie, he's not going to get his son-in-law to go on Facebook and ask around for COVID policy. "Fake it 'til you make it," however, has been Trump's guide star since he was sent to military school as a troubled kid. "Appear competent" has been more valuable to him than "be competent" since he was a teenager.

That the grifters seized power says more about the health of the Republican Party than it does about anything else. That, I believe, is where Trump saw opportunity. He was able to push over the entire power structure and bend it to his will, so why the fuck would he stop with one lost election? Those 187 minutes are the timeline between Trump taking his best shot and Trump realizing it wasn't enough. Everything since has been Trump probing for weakness and opportunity.

In an editorial in January 2016, David Leonhardt observed that many of the rules we think govern the country are actually customs, and that Trump became president by ignoring those customs. His entire presidential reign was about testing the strength of those customs. I've come to recognize January 6 as a vaccine - a brutal one, but a successful one. The live virus made us sick but it awoke the antibodies most of us thought we didn't need. I'm sure you can quote me agreeing with you - Somewhere I have an article entitled "our next demagogue will not be incompetent" or something. But Trump has proven that you have to succeed within the customs if you want to take it all the way. Trump has demonstrated the depth and breadth of those customs and unless they're changed, no one will ever be able to take it as far ever again.