First published 2022
Robert Draper examines what happened to the Republican Party after the January 6 Capitol attack. Many hoped the violent insurrection would break the fever gripping the GOP and end Trump's election lies. Instead, "the big steal" became accepted dogma among more Republicans than ever. Through reporting across Texas, Arizona, Georgia, New Hampshire, and other key states, Draper chronicles how figures like Marjorie Taylor Greene, Paul Gosar, Matt Gaetz, Lauren Boebert, and Madison Cawthorn pushed the party toward even greater extremes. He documents how conspiracy theories about COVID, vaccines, pedophilia, Antifa, Black Lives Matter, and George Soros whipped the Republican base into perpetual outrage. A shrinking group of Republicans tried pushing back against the falsehoods, but ascending demagogues weaponized lies to reshape the party's engagement. Writing on the eve of the 2022 midterms, Draper reveals how the GOP fringe became its center of gravity and tests whether American democracy can survive when grounded in truth and law.
Genres: political-science, politics, non-fiction, 21st-century, current-affairs, american-history
Vibes: suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: current-events, political-corruption
Setting: Arizona, Georgia, New Hampshire, Texas
Period: 2022, January 6
400 pages · Hardcover · Penguin Press