The Fifth Risk

Tornadoes do not appear until the final section of The Fifth Risk. However, they serve as a powerful metaphor and warning about the risks of being unprepared for disasters. This finale echoes Part 1, in which Lewis states that the risk not easily imagined is the one that should be feared most. The tornado is symbolic of these risks, and because the Trump administration was not prepared for such risks, the effect could be devastating. The tornado is also symbolic of Trump himself; Lewis closes his narrative by writing:

And so you might have good reason to pray for a tornado, whether it comes in the shape of swirling winds, or a politician. You imagine the thing doing the damage you would like to see done, and no more. It’s what you fail to imagine that kills you (219).

Many of Trump’s supporters wanted an unorthodox politician like Trump to come in and run the government differently, making him the tornado that they had “reason to pray for,” but the unimagined, lasting effects of his presidency risked doing more damage than expected.