Naming the Enemy: Trumpism and Authoritarian Rule with Lawrence Rosenthal
Naming the enemy is fundamental to the mass appeal of right populism. Who is a friend and who is the enemy is central to the mind set of right-wing politics. Each of Donald Trump's presidential campaigns highlighted a particular enemy. The consequences of Trump's successful 2016 campaign for the enemy of that campaign —immigrants — were grave, systematically depriving them of rights and legal personhood.
In his current campaign, Trump has conflated the nation's enemy with a smorgasbord of his political and legal opponents. The legal model his government used at the southern border during his administration may well be brought to bear in a new administration against Democrats and other representatives of the liberal democratic order.
About the Speaker
Lawrence Rosenthal is Chair and Lead Researcher of the Berkeley Center for Right-Wing Studies. He edits The Journal of Right-Wing Studies and is the author of Empire of Resentment: Populism’s Toxic Embrace of Nationalism. He has co-edited Steep: The Precipitous Rise of the Tea Party and The New Nationalism and the First World War.
About OLLI @Berkeley
The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at UC Berkeley is a one-of-a-kind learning community for one-of-a-kind learners, ages 50+. Learn more.
[livestreamed + recorded • free and open to all]