So as we wipe away the tears and the blood and listen to our president speak out of both sides of his mouth, we wonder what lies ahead.

Some suggest that he’s playing to his base of loyal supporters as he blames both counter protesters and white supremacists for the horror of Charlottesville. These theorists could have a point. When cornered, we have seen him flee to the heart of Trump country to make campaign speeches filled with false claims and bask in the cheers of the faithful. He needs this base to stroke his fragile ego, and he most certainly will need it if he survives to 2020 and runs again.

As the outrage of a nation grows, his numbers fall. Earlier this month, Qinnipac University reported 61 percent of Americans disapproving of the job he’s doing, compared to 33 percent approving. Results of polling conducted after his post-Charlottesville press remarks will be revealing.

But he remains popular among white supremacists and, we are led to believe, among his political base, some of whom share the attitudes of white supremacists. They want their country back, whatever that means. If much of American is horrified — repeatedly — by this cartoon of a president, how many people still actually support him?

When the final votes were tallied last November, Hillary Clinton’s popular vote led Donald Trump’s by nearly three million Americans. Today, would that number increase? Trump won the presidency because his Electoral College totals bested Clinton’s by a wide margin. Trump referred to this as a “landslide victory,” among the first of his countless lies and exaggerations. In truth, Trump’s win ranks near the bottom in terms of the portion of total available electoral votes won by a candidate.

It is tempting to think, to hope that more Americans would choose someone else — anyone else — if required to vote for a president today.

As investigations daily press closer to the truth, the question grows in importance. Will he last until 2020? In the unlikely event that he does, who will support his re-election?