Trump

Authoritarian, Just Another Neoliberal Republican, or Both

Bibliographic Data

ID6169452
AuthorsRichard Lachmann (University at Albany, State University of New York, corresponding author)
Year2018
Issue89
Publication date2018-11-27
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSociologia Problemas e Práticas (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0873-6529 • E-ISSN: 2182-7907
PublisherEditora Mundos Sociais (PUBLISHER • PT)
DOI10.7458/spp20198915753
OpenAlexW2905076788
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited10

I review Donald Trump’s actions as president to evaluate the extent to which he differs from longstanding Republican Party policies. I find that except for trade and immigration he has furthered existing Republican desires in the fields of tax cuts, deregulation, weakening labor unions, and the appointment of rightwing judges. I then turn to the question of whether Trump is an authoritarian. I show that while his rhetoric is an escalation of previous Republican racial demagoguery, Trump benefits more than he adds to his party’s decades-long strategy of suppressing minority and young voters, vulgarizing political discourse and normalizing brazen lying by candidates and officials, obstructing Democratic officeholders, and allowing unlimited campaign spending by rich people and corporations. I conclude that Trump is now the head of an increasingly authoritarian political party rather than a self-generated strongman. This reduces the insights one can gain from comparisons with rulers like Hitler, Putin or Erdogan

Authoritarianism · Democracy · Deregulation · Economics · Immigration · Liberalism · Market economy · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Politics of the United States · Rhetoric · Sociology · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Law · Political and Economic history of UK and US · Populism, Right-Wing Movements

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