I think it's still possible that the US remain a beacon of Democracy.  Right now we have a divided country, the main reason for which can be traced back to the ego of one man, Donald Trump.

Because he was raised to believe that losing was the worst possible thing for a Trump to endure, the loss to Biden sticks in his craw to the point he cannot look in a mirror or lay down at night in bed without being cursed with the fact that he is a loser.  This comes from an implicit unconscious, developed in childhood, which in adulthood acts below the level of Trump's conscious awareness.

Of course, he cannot accept the fact, so he is is a constant state of denial and a purveyor of the most ridiculous lies that, unfortunately his base actually believes and most of his fellow Republican politicians  pretend to, realizing it is their only chance of winning the midterm election.   

I cannot believe that our country, with its every institution reflecting years of developing a Democracy envied by the rest of the world, will fall because of the ego of one man.  The true Donald Trump will, somehow, be found out by his base, either by indictments for federal crimes, or by a slow realization that they have been duped  by a sleazy individual they cannot abide.

Speaking of indictments for federal crimes, that's another reason he must either win the presidency in 2024 or  a friendly Republican to pardon him for all present and future crimes.  Desperation will play a role in his unmasking.