When the world was still in the old order and at least Kamala Harris was still in the race, liberals, Europeans and sensible people were happy to cling to a last hope. Donald Trump, it was said, was an aberration of history. What the clear victory and his imminent return to the White House now confirm is the fact that it is not a mistake, but the consequence of American history. With a lasting effect. This is evident right now in the halls of his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, where he announces one personality after another under chandeliers and at banquet tables.