LOS ANGELES — If the United States escapes a disaster Nov. 8, it will have done so narrowly. Donald Trump, a dictator-in-waiting with a brat’s temper and a prig’s scowl, has won the support of tens of millions of Americans. It’s fortunate that we are less than a month from the election because we are running out of words to describe him: this phony, this liar, this blowhard, this cheat, this bully, this misogynist, this demagogue, this predator, this bigot, this bore, this egomaniac, this racist, this sexist, this sociopath. I will not go on. It’s pointless. Everyone knows, not least his supporters.

Trump slashed and burned his way through the second debate, taking no prisoners, loosing the dogs of war, hovering over Hillary Clinton like some dyspeptic Mafia boss, and threatening to put her behind bars if he becomes president.

At times, watching was like rubbernecking a hideous accident. Trump’s was a good performance, performance being the operative word. It was also shot through with viciousness and ignorance. Trump invokes but does not understand the Constitution; he understands a business and a TV show where he can fire anybody, anytime. He knows no other modus operandi, which is why debate is really a misnomer for anything in which he is involved.

“You’re jailed!” Maybe that will be Trump’s next TV act. Call it “The Warden.” He has demonstrated beyond doubt that the human inclination to bow to an all-powerful master endures.