by Adam Serwer
First published 2021
Adam Serwer examines the Trump presidency not as an anomaly but as the predictable result of America's founding inequalities. The Atlantic staff writer argues that Trump orchestrated the country's most dangerous historical forces with practiced skill. Serwer focuses less on presidential theater and more on the structural and ideological currents that enabled Trump's ascent. He explores how media outlets failed to grasp the ugly realities behind the administration. The book combines new essays with previously published work covering white nationalism, immigration myths, police union politics, and antisemitism. Serwer contends that cruelty served as the binding force for a movement driven by fear and exclusion. He warns that without confronting these toxic legacies directly, American multiracial democracy remains at risk from future demagogues.
Genres: american, political-science, non-fiction, 21st-century, current-affairs, american-history
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: political-critique, social-commentary
Setting: America
Period: Trump Presidency
358 pages · Hardcover · One World/Random House/Penguin Random House LLC
Content warnings: racism, sexism