Indeed, and those institutions and norms fought off Trump's anti-Americanism in his first term. A second term would amount to a more harrowing test, though, because Trump learned about what stood in his way. For one thing, Trump has shifted the Supreme Court. For another, much of American political culture isn't codified; it's a matter of following the norms and traditions, as an elite insider, and Trump's reckless and resentful enough to discard those unstated rules.

In any case, I'm talking here about intention, not consequence. What separates conservatism and liberalism is the intention or goal, not the ability to follow through perfectly with either agenda. Conservatives may fail to roll back all humanist progress; nevertheless, they may try to do so. Likewise, humanists may fail to sustain progress, despite their good intentions.