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In the weeks leading up to the American election in 2016, many of my friends, relatives, and colleagues spoke rather smugly of Canada’s political culture compared with the U.S. The idea that people would elect a narcissistic, misogynistic, con man as president seemed beyond the pale. But they did.

Were Donald Trump merely a clown, one easily tossed back in the toy box after four years, the damage would have been severe, but not fatal. The U.S. has had its share of lousy leaders. But the meaning of the Trump years goes deeper than that.

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The Trump presidency is not merely about lying — every president in my lifetime has spoken lies — some small, some whoppers; nor is it about self-aggrandizement — every recent president, save Jimmy Carter, has left office wealthier; nor is it even about carrying out illegal activities, including tramping on the rights of citizens.

Sadly, as reprehensible as these actions are, they fall within the ambit of “normal” politics. At the end of the day, however, the combatants — Republican and Democrat — have always returned to their corners, knowing that the Marquis of Queensberry rules, though shopworn and frayed, still obtain.