The Republican Trifecta of Extremism

Neo-PopulismIncumbent Psychology & Neo-Mercantilism
Written By Brian Klaas

In Britain, where I live, I regularly speak about US politics—in lectures, on TV and on the radio, or with people I know. And this is the most common question I get asked:

“Why have crackpot extremists taken over the Republican party?”

There’s a simple, satisfying answer: Donald Trump. And that’s certainly part of the explanation. He has singlehandedly warped his party into a dangerous authoritarian cult of personality.

But viewing Trump as the sole cause of GOP extremism is a serious error. If that were the case, the Republican Party would snap back to its more “normal” incarnation once Trump exits active politics. In that magical fantasy, Trump would leave and then…poof! The spell would break and the Paul Gosars in Congress would morph into Mitt Romneys…

Brian Klaas (Project Lead, Neo-Populism) for The Garden of Forking Paths.

Brian Klaas

Dr. Brian Klaas is an Associate Professor in Global Politics at University College London and a columnist for The Washington Post. Klaas is also a frequent television commentator and political consultant. He is also the author of the forthcoming book CORRUPTIBLE: Who Gets Power and How It Changes Us and host of the Power Corrupts podcast. Dr. Klaas is an expert on democracy, authoritarianism, US foreign policy, American politics more generally, political violence, and elections. He has previously authored three books: ‘The Despot's Apprentice: Donald Trump's Attack on Democracy’ (Hurst & Co, November 2017); ‘The Despot's Accomplice: How the West is Aiding & Abetting the Decline of Democracy’ (Oxford University Press, December 2016); and ‘How to Rig an Election’ (Yale University Press, co-authored with Professor Nic Cheeseman; May 2018).

https://brianpklaas.com/
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