The what-if analysis is a powerful tool used in business to predict outcomes based on varying conditions. 

This tool is used for decision-making.  For instance, it could help product-makers decide the ideal time of a product launch and the price bracket.

What-if analysis can also be applied to the past to hypothesize how different the future might have been.

What if the South had won the Civil War?  What if Hitler had flourished as a painter?  What if Hitler had successfully conquered Russia?  What if Japan hadn't bombed Pearl Harbor?  What if Churchill hadn't been the British prime minister during the darkest days of World War II?  What if JFK and RFK had survived their assassination attempts?  What if the Cuban Missile Crisis had escalated into a full-scale war? 

What if Donald Trump had not entered politics?

Trump would have continued to be an aspirational figure across most of America and the world.  Trump would have been traveling all over the globe, striking myriad lucrative business deals.  Perhaps Trump would have invested in sports.  Perhaps Trump University would have been successfully relaunched.

The brand "Trump" would have been universally popular.  Myriad products would have been launched under the Trump label.  Perhaps Trump would have done another successful TV show and authored more bestsellers.

Trump Tower would have been Trump's base while he relaxed on the weekends at Mar-a-Lago to play a round of golf.

Trump would have been invited as a speaker to share his experiences and would have been the recipient of numerous prestigious awards, honorary degrees, and doctorates.  Perhaps Trump would have been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Hillary Clinton.

Trump would have been welcomed with open arms in all the "elite circles."  Trump would have been not only invited, but cheered at all showbiz, fashion, and sports events around the world.  Trump's properties would be used for showbiz and sports events in many countries.  The media would have treated him fairly and sought him out for his wisdom.

Above all, Trump's life and the lives of his family members would have been happy, prosperous, and most importantly peaceful.

What if Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Nancy Pelosi, Barack Obama, and Hillary Clinton had not gone into politics?

Without politics, most among them would be living a life of mediocrity, which is directly proportional to their talents and abilities.  Some would probably be surviving on government handouts.

Now for the reality.

According to a Celebrity Net Worth report, Barack Obama's net worth was $70 million.  Obama never earned more than $30,000 per year between 1991 and 2004.  Michelle was the breadwinner for a long time, earning $274,000 per year as a lawyer.

The Obamas earned $1.65 million in 2005 due to Barack's book royalties.  In 2017, the Obamas signed a $60-million book deal for their autobiographies.  Barack and Michelle earned $85 million between 2000 and 2017.

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Hillary's worth is over $120 million.  Between 2007 and 2014, the Clintons collectively earned nearly $141 million.  Over a 15-month span through March 2015, Hillary earned over $11 million from her speeches.

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Kamala Harris is worth $5 million, while Joe and Jill Biden are worth $9 million each.  Also, Hunter Biden is worth $1 million.

This wealth is considerably disproportionate to their talents or actual accomplishments.

In addition to pecuniary gains, their political offices have enabled them access to "elite" precincts, which facilitates profitable ventures for their offspring and relatives.

What's become of Trump after entering politics?

One of Trump's greatest life achievements was winning the presidency in 2016, not only by defeating Hillary, but by taking on the entire Washington establishment of both parties and the Deep State, which includes the media, showbiz, the intellectual class, and the corporate world.

Yet his political opponents and the media claimed he had won by colluding with the Russians.

The hoax was amplified to such an extent that it caused the appointment of Special Counsel Robert Mueller.  The probe hung like a sword over his presidency for more than two years.  The probe found no collusion, yet the Democrats kept harping on Russian collusion.

The Mueller probe probably caused the Democrats to win the House in 2012, which led to two gratuitous impeachments of Trump and now the January 6 probe.

The media went on the offensive.  Beyond the Russian collusion hoax, there were myriad ludicrous allegations.  The press belittled Trump's past business successes and demeaned his achievements.  They even claimed his successes were aided by the Russians propping him up.  There were numerous unauthorized books, and vicious fabrications of his past and his tenure in the White House were amplified.  They claimed Trump was a con man, a bloviating ignoramus, a bigot.

In 2015, Trump said he was worth more than $10 billion. 

Trump's net worth plunged by more than $1 billion since his presidential campaign.  Trump was the 248th wealthiest person in America on Forbes' 2017 list; today, he no longer is part of the list.  Trump also donated his presidential salary.

Despite these sacrifices, and doing extraordinarily well as president, with prosperity in the U.S. and peace around the world, Trump received relentless, irrational hate from a section of the U.S. elites, some of whom even profited from his policies.

The doors of various "elite" circles that once welcomed him are closed permanently.  Showbiz events, sports events, and other events will never be held on Trump properties because some irrationally hate him that much.  The brand "Trump" has become toxic among certain sectors.

If Trump does attend any public events, there is always the likelihood that he will be booed by a section of the audience.  Many mainstream TV shows and movies after 2016 have negative references to Trump.  Prior to 2016, his name was often used in an aspirational way; he even did cameos.  Canadian broadcasters have since cut out Trump's cameo in Home Alone 2.  

The myriad baseless probes on various fronts continue with an aim to find some guilt.  Their goal is to prevent him from running in 2024 and probably to send him to jail.  

The goal is to send a warning to aspiring challengers to the establishment.

When the FBI raided Trump's Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Florida, there were some who celebrated on social media.  Those who think this is wrong are probably mortified to go against the groupthink.

If they can violate so many sacrosanct norms, they will stop at nothing.

Those doubting that the 2020 presidential elections were not rigged need to note this.

Trump is perhaps among the few politicians who lost not just financially, but also socially and reputationally despite being in the highest office in the land for four years.

In the end, no human being, irrespective of mental toughness, can take so much hate, especially toward his family.  The fact that Trump has had so much success in the White House is amazing.  The fact that he continues to be tough, vocal, and even funny is astonishing.

The Democrats think the banana republic raid will enthuse their far-left base.

The raid will also fire up freedom-loving citizens who oppose these Stalinist attacks on political opponents.  This enthusiasm will be not only for the midterms in November, but also for the 2024 elections.

[Editor's note: See this excellent analysis supporting this theory by TIPP Insight's Raghavan Mayur, the U.S.'s most accurate pollster.]

The raid has set the stage: it is Trump vs. the Washington Establishment.

Image: Pixabay, Pixabay License.