First, thanks for an interesting and informative article.

To my mind, what this analysis leaves out is power. Trumpism is about giving a sense of power to people who felt powerless. Enjoying the display of power becomes an end in itself. It is a kind of addiction. People in media of various kinds make a living feeding that drug to people who crave it and validating their addiction.

Political liberalism had been so culturally dominant for so long that liberals forgot that their hegemony was a display of power. As noted in the article, liberals are in a bitter, fight-to-the finish "contest of power" (from Foucault) and don't know it.

Contests of power based on "worldviews" (beliefs) tend towards totalitarian outcomes because when it comes to beliefs compromise is not possible. Therefore the only possible victory is total victory: the total domination of all by some.

The political victory of liberalism came within the context of the Cold War. That circumstance constrained the scope of the conflict. Now that an external existential threat no longer exists, the fight can churn and grow until total victory is achieved.