Presented with a choice between electing the first black, female president on a promise of a sunnier future, and a racist, misogynist, twice-impeached convicted felon hawking hatred and retribution, they picked Mr Trump. In 2021, Mr Trump seemed briefly to have lost his own party. Many voters relish Mr Trump’s willingness to break the system, because they feel it is already broken for them. Mr Trump’s pledge to withdraw from climate accords and bolster fossil fuels would end all hope of keeping global heating to below 1.5C, experts believe. But the decision must be to recommit to defending democracy and all of those imperilled by Mr Trump’s return.
