GOP installs someone super conservative this year
Next year, Democrats pack the court with 2 liberals
Potential plot twists: A crucial case regarding this election comes before the Supreme Court, with the newly placed justice casting the deciding vote in favor of Trump.
The result of all of this: more division, hatred, and anger in American politics. A sizable portion of the country disavowing the legitimacy of the Federal Government. How do left leaning states respond?
I could see a scenario where Trump wins re-election by the above mechanism, but the Democrats also take the Senate and keep the house. Then, they impeach and remove Trump.
US Politics are starting to look a lot more like South American politics than they should. South American politics is very interesting, but very destructive.
We have moved from a system with opposing factions that work together when they must to a system of warring factions whose primary objective is to destroy the enemy. I don't see a path out of this wilderness.
Just about everyone in power would see the country burn if they could rule over the ashes.
Politicians are chameleons whose colors change as the circumstances change. Trump and McConnell are who they are because that is what they need to be in order to achieve success for themselves given the current environment.
The problem in the USA runs much deeper than a few bad actors. We are a factional society with a political system that amplifies the voices and power of radicals at the expense of moderates, and that is boiling over with internal hatred. There are no key players whose elimination from the game result in an improved situation. The only events I can imagine that put an end to this process are an alien invasion or World War 3 (and in the case of WW3, I think you would see a sizable portion of those who are out of power at the moment of its outbreak support the enemy).
Our nation is profoundly sick, maybe terminally ill.
In 2016 I nearly started the process of getting Chilean citizenship (including enrolling in a preparation course for their version of the USMLE). I'm glad I didn't do that, because Chile is more sick than the USA right now. But I am actively considering my options.