When people see me these days, they ask me two questions. Do I think Trump can win? And what if he doesn’t?

F

or most President Trump supporters, this election is a zero-sum game. Or to paraphrase Patrick Henry, it’s: “Give me Trump, or give me death.”

By the same token, Joe Biden supporters assess this election as nothing less than a fight to restore the soul of America that Trump sold to the devil, assuming they don’t consider Trump the devil himself.

When people see me these days, they ask me two questions. Do I think Trump can win? And what if he doesn’t?

I’m not clairvoyant. I’m reliant on the polls, like everyone else. The electoral map isn’t favorable for Trump, no matter how you color it, but there’s one more debate this week and always a chance for a November surprise.

The second question is tougher. I’m never fond of playing the “what if” game.

Say Trump wins. Do we all get up the next morning, breathe a sigh of relief, and assume that everything’s going our way? We’ve had four years of Trump. Even if you love his policies and results and set aside the character issue, there’s still a pandemic to be reckoned with. Making a good living is no longer a given. Our streets aren’t as safe as they used to be. American culture is rotting.

If Trump wins, how does he get all this under control? Or does it get worse? Do the anti-Trumpers and Democrats in Deep Despair take to the streets in even greater numbers, making life even more miserable for the rest of us?

Conversely, if Biden wins, how do all the Trumpists react? Win lose or draw, Trump will garner some 60 million votes, and let’s be honest, not all Trump supporters are refined, genteel folk who will silently suffer a Trump defeat.

In other words, we ain’t seen nothing yet.

So what do we do the morning after Election Day, or whenever the results are clear?

This is now the fifth election I’ve covered as an editor at Mishpacha. I plan to do the same thing I’ve done since 2004. Take a break from my coverage, get to shul for neitz, put on my tefillin and have extra kavanah for the pasuk in Pesukei D’zimra about not putting our faith in mankind who can’t save us, and pray to Hashem to redeem us from the mess we’ve made.

(Originally featured in Mishpacha Issue 832)