We’re all hooked on the Trump drug. What happens next?

Times are about to change for a world that one man has hooked on a designer drug.

Once the daily Donald (Trump) drama subsides, the Old Guard is taking over again.

No more fiery tweets, laced with nuclear strike threats, insults and death knells for must-pass bipartisan spending bills.

No more 90-minute Rose Garden or briefing room press conferences during which the commander-in-chief advises everyone to inject themselves with commercial cleaning products to kill the coronavirus.

No more 47-minute Fox & Friends rant sessions. No more 27-minute Hannity conspiracy theory-pushing sessions.  

No more 17-minute “pool sprays” that produce more news – or what passes it for it anymore – than most presidents make in a month.

No more eye-popping cable news chyrons. And, hopefully, a lot less of that heart attack of a sounder known as the Fox News breaking news bell.

Things are about to get boring in the capital city.

When President Trump turns back into citizen Trump on 20 January, his White House reality show may end with him being carried out by US marshalls and US Secret Service agents.

He’s already nixed his usual South Florida golf vacation over what will be his final Turkey Day weekend as president, so he does not seem to be in the mood to go anywhere.

But he will. Once the powers of the presidency transfer to Biden, which they will under the constitution, it’s crystal clear, The Donald is headed into post-presidency purgatory. He might run again. He might not.

Until he decides, what are we all going to do?

Covering Trump has often felt like a very addictive drug. But it’s not just journalists. The entire country is hooked on Trump drama, the hate injection he sends into our veins via cable news or Twitter most days.

What happens when an entire country goes cold turkey at once? Buckle up. We’re about to find out.

Yours,

John T Bennett

Washington bureau chief