Entirely possible.
I do fear his re-election. If he is a man with little regard for the consequences of his actions on the entire populace when re-election is on the table, as I often suspect, I shudder to think how he will act if he’s a lame duck. In fact one of the reasons I think he might not be running is the disregard he demonstrates for the fate of so many.
But the hard part for me is telling the difference between if he truly hates and fears those he castigates, or if he is doing so to appease and curry favor with those who support him some of whom (not all) really do hate and fear them. I don’t trust him, so I don’t know, which is why tagging him as a “racist” has always seemed off kilter to me. Is he a racist? Or is he exploiting others’ racism for his own personal benefit? Either way is repugnant, the latter more cynical and Machiavellian. Is he too dumb to understand the impact of his rhetoric, or does he not care? Either way, I’m not sure it matters — both are awful.
But he should take some credit for the surge in consumer confidence among his constituency, which has been made clear from the data, and some for the strength in the economy. Now it will come with a cost, as the bond market and the Fed have sniffed out. If you push hard on one side of a balloon, there’s usually an impact elsewhere or it pops (same with trade policy). I’m just not sure if he understands or cares. Again — it’s a function of lack of trust in his motives, and my own sense that the ends don’t justify the means as a world view.