Contributed from Victoria

The Donald Trump saga goes on and on. The billionaire tycoon, former President, and figurehead of the wreck of American politics just won’t fade into the sunset, and there are good reasons for this.

One is the ongoing 6 January hearings and the inability of the Democrat Biden administration to act decisively to bury the Trump bandwagon. It is also the fact that this bandwagon is far less about the personality than it is about the anger many Americans are feeling. They believe big brother holds the reins of power is works against them, and that the supposed democracy of the political system is a sham.

Photo by James Keivom: Crowd invading the Capital Building in Washington on 6 January 2021

A new Monmouth University survey shows that 38 percent of Americans believe Trump was “directly responsible” for the 6 January, and 32 percent said he did nothing wrong.

The latest publicity about documents flushed down toilets and the police raid on Trump’s home won’t change this.

A section of this part of the United States came to see Donald Trump as the articulator of what they were already believing. He is a false saviour, of course. But he could only fit into this slot in the first place, because the political leadership of the nation failed to listen and address the concerns of ordinary citizens.

Money buys politicians and appoints officials. Wall street controls supplies this money and is the major donor of both the Republican and Democrat parties.

Trump has a canny ability to milk a situation. At first, he railed against Wall Street for ripping off Americans, even though he is part of the same elite and doing the same thing. But this is what many of those who pinned their hope on him wanted to hear. Then after losing the election, he railed against his victory being stolen by an elite. He was playing on the widespread belief that a small group of people control American society, and Trump is still playing the game.

There is a lot of truth in this. It is the reason why it works. And it explains why the political base that put Trump in the White House is still here and remains prepared to support and defend its leader. The Trump forces have a grip on the Republican Party.

Not all who feel they are on the wrong side of the elite marched along with the Trump bandwagon. Many didn’t and turned to the Democrats instead. To them, it is Trump who represents the worst of the elite. They sought his defeat through the victory of the Democrats. This was supposed to usher in some big changes. But this expectation has been thwarted by a party and an administration in Washington under the control of Wall Street donators.

Current American politics can be defined in terms of a two-party system where both act in the interests of a few and impose the cost on the majority. The result? The emerging crisis of legitimacy of the American political system. This is why so many Trump supporters believe elections are rigged.

This also explains the rising rift within the Democrat camp. The Biden administration has brought no change. The promises who not materialised. Decent Healthcare remains unaffordable to most. Living standards continue to fall. Deaths of black and brown Americans are still an ongoing reality.

Meanwhile, the circus around the 6 January march of Capitol Hill is kept alive because it serves as a diversion from the failure of the Biden administration to take on the big issues and tackle the power of Wall Street. In doing this, Trump and his bandwagon are given a new lease of life.

The FBI raid on Trumps home at Mar-a-Lago at Palm Beach must be viewed in this context. It is likely he stole some classified documents. Don’t expect a quick prosecution though. Expect more  media opportunities.

Trump and his people are milking it all for all its worth, and the ground is being set for the return of Trump or his surrogate the White House in 2024.

American politics stands to become even more polarised.