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Happy 4th of July everyone, and Happy 250, America.
I am back with more wikiboxes, and this one is the 3rd party extravaganza, given how many are featured in this installment.
The mods I played his time were:
Rocky '64
On His Term
1972 Time for Choosing
1980 Points of Light
1996 Powell
Also added some more custom portraits for measure. Let me know what you all think about this and the series as a whole.
Decided to make this a recurring series, lasting until I run out of ideas for mods to play (so never, hopefully).
The mods I played this time are:
1968 Too Right
1968 Camelot
President from Boeing
Texas Showdown
1992 Perot
I also finally figured out how to make wikibox maps look decent so enjoy!
Macys Backstage at Fashion Fair has got you!
Im not kidding. Went there today for the fun of it and I saw that they had a TV set up specifically for the World Cup (I have never seen it there before)
A first for me if I had to be honest 😭
The mods that I played, in order, are:
1964 Viva Kennedy
1972 Lindsay
1984b
Moonbeam
1996 Bradley
If you like this and want more, feel free to upvote this post and comment your opinions on these runs or just ask questions you may have : D
Apperently the FCC is threatening to take 8 ABC O&O stations across the country, including ABC30, off the air for no known reason from what I have read up so far.
KGO in San Francisco and KABC in Los Angeles are also being affected by this threat.
Lots of people are having this issue so I'll jump into the fray and say that yea this is happening to me too.
Error code is 2168-0002.
The Switch that I have is the OLED Switch.
I have tried every single solution, both on this reddit and on support.nintendo.com to try and solve the problem and nothing is working.
The weird part is that all my other games on my Switch work just fine. Fortnite? Works. Mario Kart 8? Works. Mario Party? Works. Fall Guys? Works. So on, and so forth.
Could this be an update pushed out by either Nintendo or Mojang causing this mess to begin with? Has anyone here successfully fixed the issue themselves?
1972 is the year where America changed forever. The Republican Party took a major gamble with nominating The National Mystery, Howard Hughes for President. It was a gamble that backfired, horribly. When Hughes was exposed for who he truly was, it was nothing short of a nightmare. The Republicans began to collapse, and to top it all off, President Robert F. Kennedy was shot at in an assassination attempt, which thankfully didn’t succeed. By the time Election Night ‘72 came, Kennedymania had swept America, as President Kennedy won all 50 states and 83% of the popular vote. Not long after, the Republican Party began to disintegrate into irrelevancy.
RFK’s coattails also allowed for the Democratic Party to sweep every seat up for grab that year, winning unstoppable majorities in Congress. However, this victory took a major toll on President Kennedy. Thanks to that gun, he is now set to be remembered forever, not as a political icon, but as a messiah of America. “What was it all for?”, he would cry endlessly. Soon enough, he would try whatever he can to remain away from the public eye. However, after the 1975 play, “Things That Never Were” came out, it was impossible for Bobby Kennedy to hide. People would search endlessly for days, especially those pesky journalists, but he was found nowhere. Whenever he had to appear in public, he would put on a brave face and smile endlessly, shaking hands, giving powerful speeches, the face of a powerful, beloved and charismatic leader. Inside however, was a broken man whose fame destroyed his life, instead of improving it.
By the time 1976 came around, America was essentially a one party state with token opposition. Whoever secured the Democratic nomination would essentially win the election. RFK’s Treasury Secretary (and brother in law) Sargent Shriver would win the nomination with ease, and he was a President in waiting not long after. When Shriver came into office, he would build up many of the reforms his brother started. In just a year, he began making sweeping changes? Pardoning the draft dodgers? Check. Universal Healthcare? Check. Detente with the Soviet Union? Check. It was an American utopia for those who were just infatuated with the Democrats and the Kennedys. Shriver’s daughter, Maria Shriver, also became a household name in her own right thanks to accompanying her dad on diplomatic trips and events, and bringing the house down when it comes to her dances with many world leaders. Overall, President Shriver’s 8 years were nothing short of a success. Robert Kennedy meanwhile? He had slowly become a recluse after his Presidency, rarely making public appearances for decades.
In 1984, it was time to select a new President in waiting, and it would be the 3rd Kennedy brother who would get the mantle, Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy, 22 year political veteran, and the main architect of Shrivercare, America’s Universal Healthcare system. Once again, America had another President Kennedy, and the public loved it. To succeed him in the Senate? None other than one of Bobby’s children, Joseph Kennedy II, who is still serving to this day, although he is retiring at the end of his 7th full term. He would continue to build on the foundations that his brothers left for him. But then….tragedy struck.
On April 26, 1986, while at a high profile fundraising event for his sister Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s athletic competition, the Special Olympics in Boston, Massachusetts, Ted Kennedy was shot and killed while riding in an open top Presidential motorcade with security, some friends and horrifyingly, his mother, 95 year old Rose Kennedy. Ted was shot twice, with the fatal blow coming from the back of the head. Rose was also shot once, with a bullet grazing her shoulder and narrowly missing her chin. Ted would die the next day at a nearby hospital, while his mother would make a full recovery after a week of treatment. Rose would later say that the event was, “The most horrifying day of my life. I saw my boy die in front of me. No mother would ever forget that”.
A nation mourned like it never mourned before as Ted Kennedy’s second in command, a young 43 year old Vice President Joseph R. Biden, was sworn in as the new 40th President. Within his 7 years in office, Biden had transformed himself from just being Ted Kennedy’s VP to a competent, well liked leader in his own right, mostly earning points on foreign policy, as he oversaw the fall of the Berlin Wall, the fall of the Soviet Union, and the successful Persian Gulf War. He also made minor changes to the domestic policies of the old Kennedys, mostly when it came to fiscal matters and crime. This caused the Democratic Party, which was a huge big tent coalition at this point, to shift to the center, becoming a generally center left party. When Vice President Bill Bradley ran to succeed President Biden in 1992, it would prove to be a tough fight, ultimately losing to the more moderate Tennessee Senator Albert Gore in a somewhat crowded primary. During this time, opposition to the Democratic Party would also slowly begin to grow, although they remained fractured between multiple parties for the time being.
Gore’s 2 terms in the White House would prove to be more dull than the terms of Biden, Shriver or the Kennedys. The world was at relative ease and the economy was generally good, although cultural issues began to go mainstream such as abortion, LGBTQ+ rights, immigration, content on television and in video games, etc. President Gore’s terms were focused on technological improvements, as technology continued to advance with items such as computers, laptops and flip phones becoming all the rage. Environmentalism also played a major role in the Gore Administration, with global warming receiving far more attention during those 8 years. Gore’s VP, fellow dynast and former Senator Jay Rockefeller, also proved to be decisive when it comes to his position, known for his good relations with many Senators and Representatives across the political spectrum. In short, the 90s were a time to be alive. As Vice President Rockefeller refused to run for President himself, another Kennedy would step into the ring, although it would soon prove to be the downfall of the Democrats.
That Kennedy’s name? John F. Kennedy Jr., former district attorney turned Governor of New York who succeeded Mario Cuomo in 1995. When he announced his bid, most Americans, especially the younger generation, were about to have their own President Kennedy, especially one whose father is none other than THE John F. Kennedy. However, many of the problems of this President Kennedy would begin the moment he received the nomination. His choice of running mate was Donald Trump, the prominent New York real estate mogul who had a longtime friendship with JFK Jr., would prove to be controversial. His record of business failures brought in plenty of criticism towards him, and his bombastic personality brought him plenty of trouble, such as one time where Senator Dianne Feinstein of California criticized Trump for his lack of experience publicly, in which Trump clapped back by branding her as “Dumbass Diane”.
Nevertheless, when Kennedy and Trump entered office, it seemed like despite the trouble on the campaign trail, they both would be fine, but that would not be the case. Firstly, the opposition united. Under the leadership of Democratic-turned-independent State Representative Jack Gargan from Florida and billionaire businessman Ross Perot from Texas, the Reform Party was founded, and within a couple of years, it would establish itself as the first real competitor to the ruling Democrats in decades, as it would grow to be a large, nationwide organization. Secondly, Kennedy would have multiple foreign policy blunders, the largest of which was his 2002 invasion of Venezuela, which was commenced under rather suspicious circumstances, with the main claim being that President Hugo Chavez was the head of a drug trafficking ring that smuggled cocaine and other narcotics into the United States. The claims years later were found to be not true at all, and that Chavez had absolutely no connection to those drug rings.
While this invasion at first had somewhat enthusiastic support nationwide, it would soon go horribly wrong. Venezuela proved to be a tough nut to crack, as their military’s use of guerrilla warfare proved to be effective in stopping Americans from advancing. By 2004, Venezuela had become John Jr.’s own Vietnam, started by him and him only. This, alongside multiple personal scandals such as accusations that he was cheating on his wife with White House staffers proved to cause problems. Many Democrats switched to the Reform Party, and by the 2002 midterms, they had substantially narrowed the majorities in both chambers, and were just a few seats short of taking back the House. With that, the now complacent Democratic Party was on its toes, with its pants pulled down by Reform.
In 2004, the Democratic Party was desperately trying to get its act together, trying to start up its long dormant organizations, although it has shown that those same organizations were in dire need of change. Reform, as enthusiastic as ever, nominated one of its co-founders, the 74 year old Ross Perot, with longtime Democratic-turned-Reform Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur from Ohio as his running mate. Polling showed that Perot was putting up quite the fight against President Kennedy, even leading in some of those polls. Kennedy’s campaign also tried to focus on Perot’s age, calling him a man out of touch with the times, which proved to be less than effective, with Perot calling him out for his failures and even going as far as attacking for being a, “nepo baby who was spoiled since birth”, an attack that now resonated with many Americans, who were now sick of seeing a dynasty rule over them for decades. Campaign failures would also continue to haunt the Kennedy camp such as Trump slipping up and calling Perot, “a demented r-slur who can’t even run a mile”, a comment that was condemned to be ableist.
An October surprise would also hit the campaign, with news of allegations of Vice President Trump sexually harassing and groping multiple staffers at the Naval Observatory. This would nail the coffin on the Kennedy campaign and cause trouble in the family, with later reports of a verbal altercation between JFK Jr. and his cousin, Congressman and DCCC chairman Patrick Kennedy occurring in the White House. Nevertheless, when the results came, it was still a shocker. Despite JFK Jr. winning the popular vote in a squeaker, Perot had won. The Democrats were out of power for the first time since 1960. A political earthquake. JFK Jr. had ruined it for the Democrats and left a nasty mark on the Kennedy legacy, slowly becoming more of an outcast in the years after, the black sheep of a royal family. On January 20th, 2005, the Reform Party entered the White House, with President Henry Ross Perot and Vice President Marcy Kaptur, the first female Vice President in American history.
Over the decades, endless editorials and opinion articles would be created, dedicated to focusing on how John F. Kennedy Jr. ended the longest era of single party control in American history, and how the Democratic Party changed America with their 44 years in power, beginning with John F. Kennedy, and ending with his son, John F. Kennedy Jr., which has been noted by many to be poetic and ironic. Now, what did the Presidency of Ross Perot bring for America? Well, it got off to a shaky start. First off, multiple of his cabinet and administration choices would prove to be controversial, such as WWE star turned Minnesota Governor turned Press Secretary Jesse Ventura, whose bombastic personality would cause problems, Perot’s Donald Trump. This would include confrontations with reporters, in which those reporters and Ventura would get into verbal matches. Next, Perot would focus on the budget deficits, an issue that was swept under the rug for decades until JFK Jr.’s Presidency, where it was revealed that it ballooned to tens of billions of dollars. Perot promised to deal with the deficit with a variety of solutions. No problem right? Well, one of his solutions included cutting back on the many programs that Shriver and the Kennedys had built in the 70s and 80s, which caused backlash from many Americans. He would attempt to make good on his promise, but Congress would shoot him down on it, and his approval rating took a hit. Then, he would move onto the economy, cutting back on multiple of the initiatives of past Presidents, cutting red tape and allowing the free market to run wild on the economy, which went fine at first…until it didn’t.
On cultural issues, Perot tepidly expressed his support for LGBTQ+ rights, calling for the allowance of civil unions nationwide, a soft stance that was still enough to anger the conservative wing of Perot’s coalition. After that came some leaks from 2006 that exposed President Perot as a man who was paranoid, who believed that people were out to get him everywhere, and personally fired staffers who he considered to be disloyal. Cabinet turnover rate was also higher than anticipated in the Perot presidency, with multiple secretaries resigning or being fired by Perot, with the highest profile one coming from Defense Secretary and former 4 star General Wesley Clark in August of 2006, who Perot sacked due to alleged charges of mishandling classified information. Tensions between the more bombastic Perot and his reserved Vice President, Marcy Kaptur, were also noted. This, alongside foreign policy blunders such as his failure to withdraw from Venezuela despite his promise to do so in his first year in office led to a quasi “blue wave” in Congress, where the Democrats strengthened their majorities in Congress, causing further problems for the Perot White House.
Then…came the recession. In 2007, the subprime mortgage bubble bursted, causing the values of homes to plummet, then, some of America’s largest banks, most notably Lehman Brothers, collapsed. The stock market plummeted, as millions lost their jobs, and entire life savings went to hell. Suddenly, the US was in an economic crisis, and Perot proved to be incompetent in handling it. At first, he said that the economy would just fix itself, which subjected him to immense backlash, even from his own party, as plenty of Reform politicians distanced themselves from the unpopular President. After a $500 billion bailout passed in Congress, Perot considered vetoing it, but after immense pressure from his cabinet, including Vice President Kaptur, who actually threatened to resign on the spot, Perot had no choice but to sign it. In 2008, President Perot’s chances at re-election were shot. His grim reaper? Barack Hussein Obama, the freshman Senator from Illinois who was elected in 2004. Despite a hard fought primary between him and the more moderate Arkansas Senator Blanche Lincoln, Obama would win the nomination, although he would select Indiana Senator Evan Bayh, son of former Vice President Birch Bayh, as his running mate to appease the moderates.
On the Reform side of things, Perot would face a primary challenge from Wesley Clark, who would win a few primaries, but ultimately was unsuccessful. Marcy Kaptur would refuse to be renominated, and in her place would be staunch Perot loyalist and another Ohio Congressperson, Dennis Kucinich. Obama would run on a platform of hope and change, promising a new America for the next generation, comparing himself to the now 78 year old Perot, presenting himself as a fresh face in politics. Perot would try to fight back, but it would be feeble. The Kennedys would also back Obama in full force, with even an 82 year old Robert F. Kennedy speaking at a public rally for Obama in a rare public appearance, looking quite good for his age, with his words filling America with hope. On Election Day, Obama would be swept into office in a landslide, with 354 electoral votes and 53% of the popular vote. America had elected its first African American President, a historic achievement. For the rest of his life, Ross Perot would blame his own party for his loss, decrying them as disloyal scoundrels who turned their back on him.
Obama’s 8 years were defined by cleaning up the mess Perot left, with actions such as passing a trillion dollar stimulus package that was designed to help Americans, and improving some aspects of the Shrivercare system including resources to adapt to today’s digital environment, with the initiative known as the Obamacare initiative, as well as rolling back on many of the changes that Perot did. Foreign policy events such as the Arab Spring and the death of Osama Bin Laden also occured. Supreme Court decisions also made waves during Obama’s tenure, such as Obergefell v. Hodges, a decision that legalized gay marriage nationwide, a victory for LGBTQ+ rights.
The Kennedys began to see through a renaissance of their reputations in 2012, after Obama won his 2nd term. He announced that 2 Kennedys would receive cabinet positions. Caroline Kennedy, who was already Ambassador to Ireland in the administration, was elevated to Secretary of State, and Patrick J. Kennedy, 6 term Rhode Island Congressman, would be nominated as Secretary of Treasury. Both would make it through Congress with little to no issues, and would get comfortable with their positions quickly. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the namesake son of RFK and US Senator from New York since 2001, would join his cousins as Secretary of Health and Human Services in 2014. Then, tragic news would strike.
On November 6, 2013, one of RFK’s children would make a devastating announcement. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, RFK’s eldest daughter and former Governor of Maryland, would write an editorial in The Atlantic Magazine, announcing that Robert F. Kennedy himself, the 87 year old former President and American icon, had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease, meaning his life was slowly coming to an end, given the disease's effects, which are similar to those such as Dementia and Parkinson's. The favorability of the family began to skyrocket, as America gave an outpouring of sympathy to the family, as their favorability skyrocketed, even for the black sheep JFK Jr. 2 of RFK’s children, Christopher and Rory Kennedy, would found the Robert F. Kennedy Alzheimer’s Foundation, where donations would pour in in the millions. 2 of his other children, Max and Douglas, would be their dad’s primary caretakers. Soon enough, the former President Kennedy’s public appearances would dry up, and in his final years, he would be secluded at the Kennedy Compound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts.
Back to the political side of things, Barack Obama’s 2 terms have expired, and after Vice President Bayh refused to run for President like his father before him, an open primary would take place. After multiple liberals and progressives split the vote, it would be the moderate 2 term Senator from Utah, Mitt Romney who would clinch the nomination, shifting the party back to the more moderate side of things. To appease the liberals, he would select the liberal Governor of Maryland, Martin O’Malley as his running mate, a move that somewhat successfully unified the Democrats. Reform would nominate former Vice President Marcy Kaptur, with Reform Senator John Cornyn of Texas as her running mate. Although she made history once again as the first female nominee of a major party for President, she would end up losing to Senator Romney by wide margins. At this point, the US had evolved into a one and a half party political system, similarly to Japan, where one party, being the Democrats, would always be in power, but there would always be a semi-relevent opposition party, that being the Reform Party.
When President Romney went into office, he would mostly keep the status quo when it comes to policy, with of course some minor changes with the context of fiscal responsibility. The first half of Romney’s presidency was relatively dull, with an economy that was growing, a semi peaceful world and a generally strong world superpower. That being said, it wasn’t all boring, with some major events such as the fall of Syrian dictator Bashar Al-Assad at the hands of the US backed Syrian Democratic Forces taking place, ending a several years long civil war in the region. Then, a years-long battle would come to its end, as the Kennedys would make a somber announcement.
On November 27, 2018, one week after his birthday, Robert Francis Kennedy, 37th President of the United States, globally known celebrity icon and the founder of America’s current political system...had died. He was 93 years old. He had died surrounded by family at the Kennedy Compound that morning. A month-long state of mourning would be declared, as politicians of all walks of life sent their prayers and condolences to the Kennedy clan. Many current and former politicians spoke at memorial services, with the most prominent being Former President Joseph Biden, who spoke at the largest memorial service that occurred in Boston, at the JFK Presidential Library. A memorial service would be held at Washington DC’s Washington National Cathedral, where thousands attended, and hundreds of millions watched across the country on television and social media. Billboards popped up across the nation, lionizing Kennedy as America’s Ripple of Hope, a 20th century Abraham Lincoln, a modern George Washington. He would be buried at Arlington National Cemetery, next to his brothers, John and Ted. At last, America’s most famous President, and a global cultural icon….was no more.
Another political shock would strike the next year, with President Romney, whose standing was good, but not great, said that he wasn’t running for a 2nd term, suddenly causing an open primary in the Democratic Party. At first, it was assumed that Vice President O’Malley would run and win the nomination, but then, yet another Kennedy came to shake things up. In late 2019, Joseph P. Kennedy III, 5 term Congressman, House Majority Whip and grandson of RFK, announced his bid for President, instantly making him the shoe in for the nomination, as the Democrats rallied behind him. Then, yet another political disaster striked, and it came in the form...of a virus.
COVID-19, also known as the Coronavirus, a virus that originated from China, would rapidly spread across the world, and soon enough the US would be swamped with hundreds of thousands of cases, thrown into the middle of a global pandemic. President Romney would take action, enacting nationwide mask mandates and allowing for state governors to take whatever actions needed to stop the spread, as Operation Turbo Speed commenced, an operation to rapidly develop a vaccine against COVID-19. A $600 billion stimulus package would pass through Congress, giving money directly to Americans to help soften the financial blow. His leadership was mostly given praise, although some criticized him for not going far enough on taking action. Nevertheless, by fall of 2020, the US had largely beaten the curve, and cases would slowly diminish over the course of 3 years, as America slowly began to reopen.
Back to politics, Majority Whip Kennedy had won the Democratic nomination, with his running mate being Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin, the first LGBTQ+ person to be nominated for Vice President, a historic achievement. He would face a…rather unorthodox opponent in Donald Trump Jr., Florida businessman and son of former Democratic Vice President Donald Trump, who had won the Reform nomination riding on a right wing populist, anti-establishment wave that struck the party, despite a strong challenge from the more establishment Governor of Massachusetts, Charlie Baker. Trump’s campaign would be mired by controversies however, starting with his running mate, former 7 term Congressman Steve King from Iowa, known for his racist and islamophobic statements and views, a choice that caused many Reformers to distance themselves from Trump, and even back Kennedy. Next, his campaign would be marred with controversy, as Trump would try and punch hard against the Democrats, often pushing into conspiratorial territory, claiming that COVID came from China, that the US government had killed RFK to boost the Democrats, among other theories. His father, who had now registered to the Reform Party, wasn’t of much help, accusing Joe Kennedy of being a part of a “deep state” that forced him out of power 15 years ago.
The final coffin came in the debates, where Kennedy was the clear winner. While the House Whip would focus on the issues, his family legacy and the tenures of Presidents Obama and Romney, Trump would focus on an anti-establishment message, although it would devolve into conspiracy rambling, such as a moment where he told Kennedy, “Your party screwed over my father. You had your buddies in the government kill your grandfather to boost your candidacy. It is ridiculous that the deep state would do everything to stop true patriots from taking back America from this bloodthirsty cabal of agents who rule the country from the shadows”. He would of course, be mocked for his ramblings and spreading of conspiracies. On Election Day, Joe Kennedy III would defeat Trump in a generational landslide, with Trump getting less than 100 electoral votes. Once again, America had elected another President Kennedy. Trump would try to claim voter fraud, saying that agents from NATO and China had rigged the election for the “deep state’s golden boy”, but he would be told by everyone, even many in his own party, to go suck an egg.
On January 20, 2021, Joseph P. Kennedy III would be sworn in as America’s 46th President. Immediately, he would get to work, creating and passing multiple initiatives to build America back from the COVID pandemic. However, his congressional inexperience proved to be a handicap when it came to other legislation, even with the help of Vice President Baldwin. His major infrastructure bill would be stonewalled, as many moderate Democrats were concerned about the cost of the legislation and that the concerns of their districts and states were not being addressed, causing years of legislative gridlock. Regardless, he remained popular, with an approval rating often above 60%.
Then, a major announcement would be made, “Things That Never Were”, an uber famous 1975 play based on the late RFK’s presidency that inspired many film, television and video game adaptations, as well as novelizations, would return to New York after a years long break. Many of America’s most known celebrities had announced their intention to attend the premiere, as did many members of the Kennedy clan, including President Joe Kennedy himself. In 2022, Treasury Secretary Patrick Kennedy, the President’s uncle, had announced his resignation, citing his want to focus on mental health activism. His replacement would be Jerome Powell, a prominent banker and member of the FED’s Board of Governors, who had proved to be an experienced and inoffensive, if a little bland, choice for the role. At the same time, President Kennedy would go on a media tour promoting his agenda, giving many television and magazine interviews to promote his policies, both foreign and domestic, and of course, to talk about the Kennedy legacy and the many stories he had about his grandfather, although he kept most of that to himself.
In March of 2023, a grand niece of RFK, Rose Schlossberg, State Secretary Caroline Kennedy’s daughter, wrote an essay in The New Yorker giving an insight into her grand uncle’s final years, talking about his rare public appearances and eventual cognitive decline. Also attached to the essay were never before seen photos of the icon, showing a man who had aged significantly, even as he still looked good for his age. Interest in the icon and the Kennedys as a whole would spike once again, as the family would remain a popular topic in the American cultural and political sphere. A few of RFK’s other relatives, including his primary caregivers, sons Max and Douglas, would come out and share their own stories of the late family patriarch.
Once again, back to politics. Kennedy’s renomination was assured, although he faced a pretty laughable challenge from online left wing pundit Cenk Uygur, who wasn’t even eligible to run for President to begin with because of where he was born, being Turkey. The Reform Party primary however…was far more fun to watch. Ross Perot Jr., son of the now late President Perot and 2 term Senator from Texas, had announced his bid for President. Donald Trump Jr. was also back for a 2nd term, as he still had a large support base within the party, despite his disastrous campaign in 2020. Ross Jr. was a far more different politician than Ross Sr. however, as he was more reserved and preferred to work within the political system, thus allowing him to run a far more competent campaign than Trump, who had this point had leaned into a populist, nationalist message, raging about how the deep state and establishment were all working against him, accusing both Perot and Kennedy of working in tandem against him. The “Battle of the Juniors” would be a political circus, as early polling showed that Perot and Trump were neck and neck nationwide in the Reform primaries. However, Trump’s momentum would soon fizzle out, and despite scattered wins in multiple primaries, most prominently South Carolina, Perot would win the status of presumptive nominee via primary delegates by mid May of 2024.
However, Trump wasn’t finished. On June 4th, 2024, Donald Trump Jr. announced that he would ditch the Reform Party and run as an independent candidate, although that would soon change when the minor Libertarian Party threw their nomination at Trump, backing him as a way to relevancy, giving him easy ballot access in nearly all 50 states. Perot’s running mate would be North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, a similarly establishment choice. Trump meanwhile, chose the far right Pennsylvania State Representative Doug Mastriano as his running mate. However, with Trump’s 3rd party bid, whatever chance Perot had at winning the presidency was taken from him. President Kennedy would focus on his tenure, urging Americans to give him 4 more years to continue his agenda of rebuilding America. Perot would try and attack Kennedy on his lack of achievements and his focus on his family name instead of his policies. Trump would continue his right wing populist campaign, with the same accusations of collusion between both the Democratic and Reform Parties…and the same conspiracy theories as before. His running mate Mastriano was also of no help, with controversies popping up such as a leaked photo of him in a Confederate uniform and a video of him singing the Confederate anthem. The right wing split would allow for Kennedy to coast to a 2nd term.
On November 5th, 2024, Joe Kennedy would win re-election in another landslide, albeit smaller than his 2020 bid. Kennedy won nearly 53% of the vote and 373 electoral votes. Perot managed to increase Reform’s electoral vote total, winning 152 electoral votes, although the vote splitting caused him to only win 37% of the popular vote. Donald Trump Jr., despite his populist, nationalist and openly conspiratorial campaign, had won over 10% of the popular vote and 2 states, those being West Virginia and Alabama, totaling to 13 electoral votes. This allowed for the Libertarians to win federal matching funds for the first time in their party’s history. On January 20th, 2025, President Joseph P. Kennedy III would be re-inaugurated to his 2nd term as the 46th President of the United States.
This is where America stands today, as of early 2026. A country’s political trajectory and history changed forever by a famous family and the near death of an iconic President. A country whose most famous political dynasty is the closest America has to actual royalty. An America who will always be obsessed with the Kennedy family, and especially Robert F. Kennedy, the 37th President of the United States, and a global cultural icon, whose grandson is the incumbent President of the United States. However, was this truly meant to be America’s fate? Was this truly the way how the country would be forever, obsessed with a large family? Why did this happen, and more importantly…what was all of this…for? We may never know...