Top 5 Possible Post-Trump Directions for the GOP

2. Double-Down on the Alt-Right

Another scenario is that following Trump’s defeat, the alt-right and populist fringe of the Republican Party retain their stronghold so firmly that it cannot be shaken. Of course, this portion of the party is much larger than Donald Trump; he is merely the manifestation of nearly a decade of shortsightedness by GOP leadership. In this case, Trump would remain a figurehead of admiration for Republicans. He and the alt-right could instigate this situation by successfully blaming the establishment for the loss since they did not give support to Trump in the election.

In this hypothetical, those who supported Trump in his anti-immigrant and borderline-racist rhetoric could see their profiles elevated, with someone of that nature receiving the nomination in 2020. The GOP would then slowly shrink as minority voter blocs become larger. The bad news for the Republican Party is that if they take this route, it almost guarantees that the party will no longer exist in a few decades. The best historical example of something similar happening to the Republican Party is when Joseph McCarthy gained support due to the “Red Scare” in the 1950s, nearly leading to him being selected as the GOP vice presidential nominee in 1952.