Inconceivable though it might seem given the damning evidence presented to the January 6 hearings this week, two-and-a-half years from now Donald Trump may be back in the Oval Office.
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If that were to happen it could spell disaster, not just for America but for the rest of the free world including Australia which has benefited from the return of consistency, stability - and dare we say maturity - to our closest ally's foreign, economic and environmental policy.
Would a Trump administration stand up for Australia against China as strongly as Biden has done? His previous actions would suggest not. What is Trump's view of AUKUS? How committed would he be to the nuclear submarine deal? What would be the consequences if and when he started winding back the Biden administration's climate change policy?
And, in the possible event Russia and Putin were still facing off against NATO in central Europe, how would the man who initially described the invasion of Ukraine as "genius" and "savvy" respond?
IN OTHER NEWS:
The January 6 committee hearings have confirmed Trump is a manipulator, a bully and a narcissist with no respect for the rights and safety of others - including his own former vice-president, Mike Pence. He is either genuinely delusional or a Machiavellian schemer who will tell any lie to reshape reality into what he wants it to be.
It is no wonder that former US Appeals Court Judge J Michael Luttig, a Pence adviser, said the former president and his supporters "... are a clear and present danger to American democracy".
And, even while the threat of Trump redux is still some way down the track, there is a real likelihood this year's US mid-term elections in November will give the Republicans control of either or both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
With a majority of Republicans still taking their marching orders from the "lost leader", that would elevate Trump to the status of an "eminence grise" with the capacity to wreak havoc despite not even being in Congress.
The remarkable reality is even with what is currently happening on Capitol Hill, as the January 6 committee tries to get to the bottom of what appears to have been an attempted coup by the outgoing president, aggregated polling would suggest Trump is viewed more favourably right now than the man who replaced him.
While 41.6 per cent of Americans have a favourable view of the lord of a Mar-a-Lago, only 39 per cent approve of President Biden, whose support is close to an all-time low against the backdrop of soaring inflation, rising interest rates and fears of a US recession.
The only time he has polled worse than right now was after last year's bungled withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Trump, who some pundits are saying could announce a second tilt at the presidency well before the end of the year, also enjoys a lower disapproval rating than Biden at 54.1 per cent and 59 per cent, respectively.
If Trump were to run in 2024 it is unlikely he would be facing off against President Biden, whose age means he is unlikely to renominate. Whether or not the Democrats would pit Kamala Harris, whose profile is arguably even lower than Mike Pence's under Trump, against the former incumbent remains to be seen.
It would appear the only thing that might impede Trump's ambition to return to the White House is if he is convicted of a criminal offence. While federal prosecutors are watching the developments at the committee hearings very closely there has been no indication to date there is sufficient evidence of malfeasance to put the inciter-in-chief into the dock.
