Donald Trump will be President of the United States in 2016.

Barring a Hillary Clinton indictment by the FBI, facilitating a Sanders candidacy, I’m struggling to imagine any circumstance in which Trump will not take the Whitehouse. This has been a long time coming for the political establishment.

Sure, a lot of people who will vote for Trump are idiots. In the scheme of things, it’s not a wise decision to make. They’re not really engaged politically, but they sure like his rhetoric. They especially like what he stands for. Because whatever else Donald Trump represents, he represents the people’s cry of “Fuck you!” to the political establishment. What started on the entertainment pages of the Huffington Post will end up at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

The trends speak for themselves. Trump is winning over establishment Republicans, mobilising first time voters, and speaking to the valid concerns of a shrinking, conservative middle class. Clinton is alienating them, and even registered Democrats will abstain from voting for her. The further left she goes to appease unsatisfied Sanders supporters, the more anti-Trump Republicans she loses.

America is the largest economy in the world, but where is it really? The middle class peaked in the early 1980s, along with employment. Prison populations have exploded to world leading numbers. 15% of the US population live in poverty. Wealth inequality is at record levels. Consumer debt is crushing. Automation and AI are taking jobs from the bottom of the ladder up. This isn’t an socioeconomic cocktail indicative of a stable society.

There’s a lot of dissatisfied, poor, angry, and disenfranchised people out there. Whether you believe they’re legitimate grievances or not, it doesn’t matter, because politicians are, by and large, failing to address them.

It’s a sentiment being shared worldwide. The curtain is slipping, and the faceless men and women pulling the levers are being revealed. It’s never been easier to reveal or disseminate allegations and evidence of corruption and government overreach. Established tech and media conferences around the world greet declared “traitors” Julian Assange and Edward Snowden as guest speakers via video conference. The people are taking back the world, even if someone like Trump isn’t in our best interests.

I’m sure the establishment has operated like this for longer than any of us remember, but political and business leaders have failed to adapt to a new generational paradigm. Death may be the great leveller, but the internet sure isn’t far behind. Everything you’ve ever said is now on public record, and the data is available for anyone to see and interpret. Spin is called out for what it is. Even global consumer brands are adopting policies of transparency and honesty, which politicians are yet to embrace. A frenetic media cycle can only cover up so much.

Brand perception is everything, and it takes a long time to change it. Hillary’s lacklustre campaign is summed up so succinctly in the satirical hashtag: #itsherturn . Trump may be a shitty businessman, but he embodies the American entrepreneurial spirit, and he sure isn’t a politician. A lot of people find him refreshing simply because he is different.

Duplicity and corruption is now somewhat expected from our politicians, but we resign ourselves to watching the circus of elections. “Pepsi or Coke?” the cynics ask. Except this time, the people have seized their opportunity to thrust a stick firmly through the spokes of the establishment. It won’t be pretty, but at least it will be definite change.

I have very little doubt that in a Clinton/Trump race, The Donald will mount the greatest underdog campaigns of all time. They’re already running equal in some polls. And I think this election will hinge on a single issue — do the American people want to maintain the status quo with a Clinton presidency, devoid of trust, or do they want real change, however it comes?

The United States of America will get the leader it deserves.

And it gives me no pleasure to say it, but you know what?

Fuck it.

Maybe it’s just time to watch the world burn.