It is easy to dismiss Donald Trump's "Drain the Swamp" rhetoric as a campaign gimmick.  Many believed that's all it was.  Clearly, it was a message never before heard from an elected politician.

Even when he was a long shot, a "could never be elected" candidate, his message struck fear in the hearts and minds of the establishment.  Oh, never mind – he didn't have a snowball's chance in Hell of winning.  But still, what if he did, and what if he meant what he said?  The video below nicely tracks the ebbs and flows of the last presidential campaign. As it points out, as the impossible began to look possible, the corruption increased.

Imagine the horror as Trump went from impossible to the Republican nominee.  Some in the Democratic Party were delighted, believing that it made for a sure win for their candidate.  Why Hillary had trouble beating Old Crazy Bernie despite her illegal tactics never seemed to register with them or their allies in the media.

Drain the Swamp

Many in this country still do not believe how corrupt their government is.  To many, Trump is merely a baboon – not intelligent enough to manage government and not proper or politically correct enough to represent them.

To the horde of thieves inside the Beltway, he is the million-in-one shot.  As such, he is now a threat that cannot be tolerated.  His tenure has already highlighted and uncovered inefficiencies and illegalities.  And he is just getting started and beginning to focus on the really criminal stuff.

"Drain the swamp" was a catchy campaign phrase, but it was inaccurate in the sense that swamps do not metastasize.  They can become more dangerous over time, but generally, they do not become bigger.  Washington is more like a cancer, which does  grow in  size.

The election of Trump has revived the cancer called Washington and caused it to metastasize.  To be sure, if untreated, it would have killed the country.  The fact that Trump's election uncovered it and made it virulent is a positive.  It must be excised, or it will kill Trump and whatever freedom is left.

Remove the Cancer

"Drain the swamp" has morphed into "remove the cancer."

Trump is a threat to the wealth accumulation of the criminals.  Members of both parties are against him, although Republicans are more cautious and sneaky in their opposition.  The wealth of many inside the Beltway is at stake.  So too is their freedom from prosecution.  Ditto for very, very powerful beneficiaries outside the Beltway.

Trump is no longer viewed as a baboon.  Instead, he is an existential threat that must be stopped.  Up to this point, he has shown himself to be more clever and smarter than the criminals arrayed against him.  The cancer must kill Trump, or Trump will remove the cancer.

What Next?

Trump has now entered the critical phase of his presidency.  His very presence threatens this crooked establishment in ways never before seen.  He presents risks to both Democrats  and Republicans.

If I could purchase a life insurance policy on him, I would consider doing so.  Most voters probably think such talk is ridiculous.  Perhaps, but that is likely because they don't understand the stakes.

Perhaps I am overstating the case, but I think  not.  Trump has taken on the biggest and most powerful criminal cartel in the world.  This cartel includes the police at least at the federal level (FBI, CIA, NSA).  It consists of well dressed, quasi-educated types who gain office and then plunder the people they are supposed to represent.  It also consists of a Pravda-like media out to protect the existing criminal cartel.

Major businesses are at risk.  They provide both hidden and unhidden benefits to officeholders as the quid for the quo of favorable legislation.  It is never out of respect that a business contributes to a politician.  These "contributions" are investments made only because they yield profitable returns for the provider.

The Mueller investigation is supported by both parties.  It should never have begun, but it was necessary to remove Trump from office.  It also was necessary to protect the criminals in Washington who are Mueller's friends.  For those who admire the "integrity" of Mueller, check out his history.  It is one of bumbling investigations.  Further, Mueller was at the center of some of the  shady dealings in the Obama administration.  Mueller has integrity compared to the rest of the swamp-dwellers in the same way that the Unabomber could claim to have integrity compared to Jack the Ripper.  Integrity in Washington means something different outside the Beltway.

As the Mueller investigation is increasingly viewed as a fraud, the Establishment must co-opt Donald Trump to their side.  This possibility seems remote.  That means they must take him out.  If Mueller cannot do it, other means must be found.  The stakes are too high to allow him to continue in office.

Monty Pelerin occasionally blogs on a number of topics at Monty Pelerin's World.