Following Kamala Harris’s victory, the Democratic Party had won 3 Presidential elections in a row. They held 58 seats in the Senate and 275 seats in the House.

They also possessed a solid 7 liberals on the Supreme Court. It was a far cry from the 2010s, when the party had been broadsided by the Tea Party wave and mediocre campaigning. They had passed the most extensive progressive legislation since the New Deal; they had enacted universal healthcare and childcare, enacted programs to reduce the poverty rate to 6%, cut down on carbon emissions, and other cool stuff. The opposition was coalescing around the Libertarians, but it was still very fragmented and divided. The Democrats also presided over a booming economy powered by increased consumer spending and massive technology innovation.

But all was not well; this would prove clear in 2029. President Kamala Harris faced a significant terrorist threat from the neo-Confederates, who were emboldened by her choice of Ta-Nehisi Coates, a radical black journalist and Representative, as VP. His stances bolstered their message that the Democrats only cared about minorities and women, and not the long suffering white people in Middle America. This was somewhat true; poverty and suicide rates among white working-class whites had doubled as they faced unemployment due to continued offshoring and automation(the latter becoming even more important). The lack of support for job training programs and stricter gun control measures enacted by Democrats also alienated many people, who felt that no one in Washington cared about their interests. And with no Donald Trump to turn to, many of them turned to violence and terrorism to make ends meet and change things.

In January 2030, President Harris gave a speech in Tulsa, Oklahoma about her plans to rectify the situation. She planned to roll out a universal basic income policy and special job training programs for the masses of displaced workers and youth throughout the heartland of America. Her speech won considerable applause from an initially hostile audience, but it was cut short with a bomb blast coming from the podium. President Harris and 6 others were killed instantly; a firefight between bold neo-Confederates and Secret Service Agents led to the deaths of another 32 people. The incident shocked the nation, especially new President Ta-Nehisi Coates.

Coates had advocated for harsher actions against the neo-Confederates, including deploying federal troops and imposing martial law in states where they were running rampant. He had little sympathy for the white working-class, viewing the plight of blacks as more important. And now he had a chance to impose his will. He announced a series of sweeping measures to combat the neo-Confederates; he declared a state of emergency, suspended habeas corpus, imposed martial law throughout the South and the vast interior of the country, and took over police departments who had been suspected of backing the neo-Confederates. He also spent most of his time in Washington DC, putting barriers to prevent suspected terrorists from coming in and trying to blow up government buildings.

These measures proved to quash the threat of neo-Confederates but were considered heavy-handed by the majority of Americans(except black Americans). Tens of thousands of people, mostly white working-class people, were locked up and detained; their weapons and properties were confiscated to deny the neo-Confederates material for further activity. President Coates’ actions in the Mountain West region were even more controversial; drones and bombings were used against suspected neo-Confederate hideouts. This led to a lot of collateral damage against ranches, small mountain towns, and civilians. President Coates also isolated himself, which made him appear distant and professorial to the nation. He also used public anger and sympathy to shove a larger African-American reparations bill through Congress. This bill, called the “40 acres and a mule bill”, gave each black family a share of the $900 billion allocated to the program. Government hiring quotas and university quota admissions were also instituted to help further compensate blacks for their struggles. President Coates had always been a fervent supporter of reparations and affirmative action for African-Americans and felt it was the duty of White America to make amends for the centuries of discrimination and oppression against black people.

His measures, while well-intentioned, were viewed as insane and radical. A massive wave of protests and riots followed the announcement; the stock markets crashed as businesses and investors feared the already huge deficit would spiral out of control. Senator Elon Musk, who had won Kamala Harris’s old seat in 2028, led the Congressional opposition. He repeatedly spoke out against the special programs being passed by the Congress, demanding that there at least be debate and amendment be heard. His spirited defense won him incredible acclaim from the media and Americans throughout the country; many also noted his pivotal role in getting an Amendment passed to allow foreign-born citizens who’d lived in the US for at least 14 years to become President. While this was generally seen as yet another progressive reform, it was realized as a ploy for him to run for President.

Elon Musk’s ambitions were one step closer to fruition when the Libertarian Party swept into control of Congress in the 2030 midterms. They now had 245 seats in the House and 52 seats in the Senate(after convincing the other opposition Senators to join the Libertarians), with the rest being controlled by Democrats. They spent most of 2031 repeatedly trying to veto Coates’s racial programs and some of his heavy-handed measures; they argued that it was killing the economy and the neo-Confederates were close to collapse. Elon Musk wanted to allow the remaining neo-Confederates to peacefully surrender and turn themselves in; he pressed the defiant President but to no avail. The gridlock the nation went through was reminiscient of 2011 except worse; the nation faced federal debt at 132% of GDP. While entitlement programs were generally safe, the issue was the reparations program and massive sums being spent on combatting the neo-Confederates. Facing little choice, Musk and a bipartisan group of 10 Senators held a covert meeting with the neo-Confederate leaders in Edmonton, Alberta. The terrorists agreed to lay down their arms and turn themselves in exchange for an end to the reparations program and measures to help struggling white-working class people.

This caught President Coates off guard and led to him considering treason charges for the Senators. But the move by Musk and the Senators was broadly popular and forced the President to accept the deal and back off from reparations. This enraged white progressives and African-Americans, who felt that negotiating with the terrorists was stupid when they were already in dire straits and being defeated. But the nation as a whole, weary of the racial terrorism and violence, wholeheartedly supported Elon Musk’s move. This set the stage for the divisive 2032 election, one that was just as divisive as 2020.

Ta-Nehisi Coates decided not to run for the Democratic nomination, throwing the door wide open for a litany of candidates to run. The main frontrunners were Alicia Garza, a founder of the Black Lives Matter movement, and Senator Joseph P Kennedy 3(D-MA), a scion of the ancient Kennedy family. The third most popular candidate was Heath Schuler, who held a substantial following among the remaining working-class whites and moderates in the party. Senator Jennifer Lawrence(D-CA) was popular among young voters, especially men. The party was split and eventually the convention nominated Joseph P Kennedy, hoping to capitalize on his charisma and Kennedy name. Garza and her supporters decided to launch a third party bid, forming the Social Democratic Party. This split effectively doomed the Democrats.

The Libertarian Party, finally united and strong, unanimously nominated Elon Musk. The convention and his speech was the most high-tech in history; Musk delivered the speech via a hologram projection. He spoke about the need for dramatic economic and political reform. He promised to institute a universal basic income program and privatization of certain aspects of the healthcare and pension programs. He also promised to promote Internet startups, privacy rights, an open Internet free of censorship(Coates had passed laws to target racist and obscene content on the Internet), and more technology research. He also promised to return the US to a more interventionist policy and counter China. His speech was well-received, and there was little doubt he would win.

The campaign season was very tense. The Democrats portrayed Elon Musk as a crazy, egotistical businessman, somewhat akin to Donald Trump, and threatened to roll back the progressive advances of the past 12 years. The Social Democrats portrayed Musk as a supporter of racists and a closet neo-Confederate. Elon Musk characterized both as out of touch with the new technological age, and he promised to change politics as people knew it. His simple, optimistic message and quirky persona won him many supporters.

And thus the results came in:

Elon Musk: 53.8%

Joseph P Kennedy: 25.1%

Alicia Garza: 21.1%

Elon Musk was now the first President of the US to not have been born in the United States.