That’s what the sign warned Dante at the entrance to Hell. But, as Mephistopheles says in “Dr. Faustus” when asked why he isn’t in hell, “Why, this is hell, nor am I out of it.” And so are the rest of us, I’m afraid.

At first, the idea of Trump running for President was a joke. Then he ran, and the idea he would survive the primaries against seasoned, knowledgable Republicans was absurd. His first words off the escalator — Mexican rapists — seemed sure to doom him.

But, mirabile dictu, there apparently was an audience of 60 million Americans for crude, bombastic, uninformed, racist, misogynistic, simplistic, fraudulent populism. He won the nomination despite a history of race bating, corruption, indictments, bankruptcies and illegal business practices.

But surely in the General Election the country would reject the notion of such a creature occupying the position once held by Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Roosevelt. Unfortunately, we forget the presidency was also held by Jackson, Buchanan, Arthur, Hayes, Harding, and Nixon. Trump won, despite evidence he was aided by Russian meddling with the election, and the accusations by multiple women that he committed sexual assault or harassment of them, a claim confirmed by his own words on an “Access Hollywood” tape and appearances on Howard Stern.

Since then, he has performed about as one might have expected, endangering our national security, health, welfare and national ideals and identity. He has dedicated himself to being the president not of all the people, but of the fraction that voted for him. And has seemed to view the office as he did his business, an opportunity to enrich himself and increase his celebrity.

And despite protests, editorials, national angst, organizing, and the gnashing of teeth, nothing will change for the next three years. If we survive. The fanciful notion that the forces of light will vanquish the darkness is childish. The Republican majority has formed itself into a praetorian guard to protect the emperor from his own atrocities while they govern, enriching their donors and remaking the government to perpetuate their reign.

What about the 25th Amendment? Let’s get Trump declared mentally incompetent. By whom? Vice President Pence and the Trump cabinet? They are little better than ventriloquist dummies. When Trump isn’t tweeting and golfing, he pulls their strings. And when they try to disagree with him, he tweet-shames them.

So, for instance, he describes a whole continent as being comprised of shithole countries and Sens. Tom Cotton and David Perdue go deaf. They didn’t hear any such thing. Neither did Homeland Security Secretary Kristjen Nielsen, nor was she aware that the home of people with her last name, Scandinavia, is populated by white persons.

Very well, then, let’s impeach him for high crimes and misdemeanors uncovered everyday by the press and the investigations of Senate, House and Special Prosecutor. But again, a very high bar. Will the Republicans needed to reach two-thirds of the House and Senate vote to remove the man who signs anything they put before him? Fat chance. With him in charge, they are hurrying to enact a decades-old wish list of measures designed to eliminated what they call the “welfare state” or the “regulatory state.” Others call it, “civilization.”

In fact, they are actively colluding themselves. Not to uncover Trump’s malfeasance, incompetence, and corrupt practices, his transgressions of the emoluments clause, obstruction of justice, and cooperation with a foreign power to tamper with an election, but to change the subject to Fake News.

Chris Steele, a former MI6 investigator hired to do oppo research on Trump, turns up alarming traces of a connection between the Trump campaign and Russian attempts to influence the election in his favor. He brings it to the attention of the FBI. Do Republicans like Sen. Charles Grassley seek to give him a medal for service to our country’s security?

They do not. Instead, they ask the FBI to consider a criminal indictment of Steele for lying to the FBI. He’s part of a plot to smear Trump and distract attention from the crimes of Hillary Clinton which fired FBI Director Comey was trying to cover up. They want the Trump Dossier ignored, and the case against Hillary reopened.

According to this conspiracy theory, they are the villains that Americans need to worry about. Not Trump, Sr, Trump, Jr., Kushner, Manafort, Putin, Papadopuolos, Flynn, Assange and additional players to be named later. In other words, the cover up is in full swing. And there aren’t enough votes to stymie it either.

Thus, the Conman-in-Chief will very likely remain in power until voted out in 2020. Until 2024, if he can succeed in branding the truth fake news, can distract attention from what his government is up to, can put more and more toadies in positions of power, pack the courts with judges that will help suppress the vote of minorities. With any luck, he may succeed in giving us El President Don, Jr., or Ivanka in 2028.

There is a slight chance that Democrats may win enough seats in 2018 to disrupt this scenario. They would then be able to conduct meaningful oversight, issue subpoenas and investigate high crimes, but would still lack enough votes to impeach or convict unless a substantial number of Republicans decided to put country above party.

Or, if public opinion on Trump turned so negative that a vote for impeachment began to look like vote for self-preservation. But in a lot of red states, that isn’t going to happen. If everything from a stolen election to Charlottesville to a great, big nuclear button to hush money to porn stars hasn’t soured the base on Trump, what will?

That leaves only the possibility that the fattest president since Taft and the oldest ever elected will flop over and eliminate the threat to the Republic he poses. But according to his doctor, he’s in robust good heath, isn’t crazy, has good genes and no vices, other than his diet, egomania, cruelty, and ignorance. As we know, only the good die young. So, to paraphrase Bette Davis in “All About Eve,” Fasten your seat belts. We’re in for a hell of a ride. Sad.