The real reason the world is quietly erasing Donald Trump

The president of the United States was erased from representations of the world's greatest sporting event. For Americans, it should have been a source of shame and humiliation, but American exceptionalism means we never have to face the truth about ourselves.

Here's how the New York Daily News put it: "FIFA photos excluding President Trump from Spain’s World Cup championship celebration further put his mark on the global tournament."

That's a flattering take. It gives the impression that whatever Donald Trump touches is indelibly marked, as if he were the ultimate arbiter of reality. Obviously, that's not the case.

For one thing, he was erased from images of the Spanish champions in celebration of their victory over Argentina. For another, he was booed viciously during the award ceremony. America is not the center of the world, no matter how much our myth-making tell us otherwise. With Trump as our president, the rest of the world is making sure we know it.

But I think this episode is a preview of what's to come.

Once Trump is out of power, there will be enormous pressure on everyone – and I mean everyone – to erase him from our minds, just as he was erased from the FIFA photos. The Republicans will want to forget him, though a large faction will see opportunity in preserving his name. Some of the Democrats will want to seek justice, but many more will simply want to move on. Meanwhile, a great many respectable white people already believe that Trump is a deviation from our values rather than a manifestation of them. For these believers in American mythology (think: No Kings), the temptation to erase Trump will be felt most of all.

If we do erase him, however, it won't be long until there's another just like him, as you cannot stop symptoms without treating the disease. Many will see Trump's erasure from the FIFA photos as evidence that the world rejects him, and many will see that rejection as validation of their belief that he's the exception to the rule of US history, rather than the rule itself.

Fact is, the world isn't rejecting Trump. It is rejecting the United States of America. The world doesn't want us anymore. Trump's cheating won't change that. Neither will his erasure. Americans can accept that new reality and make better choices to better ourselves, for ourselves and our children, or we can deny it and wait for the next Trump to come along.