The Paradoxical Foundations of the Trump Presidency: Causes and Consequences

Abstract

This chapter begins with the role of the presidency in American political life and how that has developed. It then turns to an analysis of the 2016 presidential election from the perspective of two major opposing sides, both of whom saw the election in stark dire terms. In reality, that election brought to the fore a set of simmering political crises that had been brewing for decades, including the abortive rise of the “Tea Party” in 2008, centered on profound issues of trust. We link those with Trump’s election victory and his presidential ambitions, understood as the Politics of American Restoration. We close with a consideration of Trump’s leadership style and demeanor, their relationship to presidential “guardrails,” and the rise of a by any means necessary opposition to the Trump Presidency.

This chapter is a revised version of a talk delivered at New York University on May 24, 2017. The author wishes to thank members of the Oasis Club who attended and offered their observations.