Joe Biden and Donald Trump: An Alternate History

Alternate realities are a staple of science fiction novels and in Hollywood.  They’re about what might have been…for example if we hadn’t had a worldwide pandemic.  Given the state of the economy at the time, Trump was probably a shoe-in for reelection, and that would have changed history.

There would be no Biden presidency, and therefore no fear of a vice president Kamala Harris becoming Leader of the Free World.

The cost of gasoline and groceries would not be skyrocketing, and inflation would still be at about 1 point 4 percent.  Most important, in a second Trump term, it’s doubtful that Putin invades Ukraine or that Hamas attacks Israel.

CNN might have imploded by now, and Mike Pence might soon be taking the oath of office.

Random Samplings is brought to you by the Texas Public Policy Foundation.

Alternate histories are fun, and they can be informative! 

Cover image: “The Texas Israeli War: 1999” by Jake Saunders and Howard Waldrop. (Fair use)

Back in 1974, a friend of mine, Jake “Buddy” Saunders and the late Howard Waldrop published a novel entitled “The Texas-Israeli War: 1999.”  As the story goes, the nations had signed a big non-proliferation treaty, and the world subsequently went to hell.  An independent Texas ends up fighting Israeli mercenary forces that are trying to rescue the kidnapped President of the United States in return for land for an over-populated Israel.

A current television series streaming on Apple is called “For All Mankind.”  It’s the story of what might have happened if Russia had landed on the moon first.  In the series, NASA has to step it up because the Russians may be looking to establish a lunar military base.  In this version of the future, the moon becomes everything – especially after the Russians send a female cosmonaut on a moon mission.

In my own new book, “Stitches in Time: A Trilogy,” the second story, “Rules of Ascension,” concerns a world with one big difference:  Franklin Delano Roosevelt never had polio.  That meant that he remained president for essentially the rest of his life, and he was able to establish a form of world peace following the end of World War II.  But peace turns out to be less than ideal in this alternate universe.

I call it a “divergence” – something that might be insignificant, but turns out not to be.

In “The Texas-Israeli War: 1999,” the divergence appears to be the treaty and nukes that result in the world going up in flames (except for Israel).  In “For All Mankind,” it’s the United States losing the race to get to the moon and how that affected NASA.  In “Rules of Ascension,” it’s the idea of Roosevelt living long enough to drop bombs – not on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but on Tokyo and Moscow, and then having the world bending to his will.

The divergence in the real world appears to be COVID-19 pandemic.

Without it, the Democrats can’t unleash Dr. Fauci on the country.  They can’t use the pandemic to illegally alter rules and laws related to voting.  They can’t shut down businesses and public schools.  They can’t force you to wear a mask or take the jab.  They can’t blame everything that happened during the pandemic on trump.

The pandemic was the “X” factor that changed the course of history in the United States and in the world.  Think of this:  without it, millions of people would have lived because they would never have contracted the Wuhan Flu.  Any one of those people (or their unborn children) might have been a mass murderer or a world leader at some point.  You never know.

But we know what actually did take place. 

Biden was elected, fair and square or not, and he undid virtually all the good things that Trump had accomplished.  He pandered to Iran again, projected weakness to Xi in China, and presided over the worst U.S. military blunder of all time:  the Afghanistan Withdrawal.  He used January 6, the breach of the U.S. Capitol, to put hundreds of political opponents in prison.

But in the alternate history, there would be no January 6 and no lawfare against Trump.  Alvin Bragg, Fani Willis, and Leticia James would be unknown local political figures.  My own opinion is that Putin would never have invaded Ukraine, and Hamas would not have perpetrated their own 9/11 against Israel on October 7, 2023.

In the alternate history, Republicans and Democrats would still be fighting, but with Trump term-limited after 8 years, we’d soon be back to regular professional politicians running the country as before.  I don’t think the world would be on fire as it is now.  And as it was in 1999 when Texas went to war with Israel – in an alternate history.

Lynn Woolley is a Texas-based author, broadcaster, and songwriter.  Follow his podcast at https://www.PlanetLogic.us.  Check out his author’s page at https://www.Amazon.com/author/lynnwoolley. 

Order books direct from Lynn at https://PlanetLogicPress.Square.Site. 

Email Lynn at lwoolley9189@gmail.com.

In this book, Joe Biden never existed.