Fantasies of impeachment and protest: continued misreadings of Donald Trump

Such stances tend to provide slanted views about the way such protest movements develop. For one thing, it ignores the obvious role of crafting, management and instigation. Ben Wikler, Washington director for MoveOn, might well speak of "an enormous outpouring of spontaneous energy and concern," but this does not detract from how that spontaneity is, in fact, being managed.

Yong Jung Cho, introduced in the USA Today article without comment (spontaneity needs no questioning), is an activist for the 350 Action Campaign Coordinator, a point noted in a February 2016 email from the Podesta files released by WikiLeaks.

New fault lines in Trump's America have developed. Genuine peaceful protest and concern is being submerged in accusations of organised disruption, a point which has made Kellyanne Conway, Trump's campaign manager, call upon the calming advice of President Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton herself, and Bernie Sanders.

Trump has provided a vigorous, aggressive shake to the establishment. The tremors are still being felt in the frail body politic. For those who opposed, and ignored Trumpism altogether, forms of denial have taken even deeper root. They have little interest in bringing the Trump voters into the fold, let alone idly waiting for a transition period to unfold. Their tactic has now become one of uncivil disobedience ahead of the inauguration, effectively a challenge about the very idea of legitimacy in the United States.