Donald Trump took his authoritarian threats in a dark new direction during two new public appearances. He suggested our next election might be our last, reiterated in advance that the election will be rigged against him, and admitted all the post-assassination “unity” talk was nonsense, openly declaring: “Maybe I’ve gotten worse.” We talked to Ruth Ben-Ghiat, author of the “Lucid” newsletter and the book Strongmen, who helps illuminate how Trump’s form of politics requires keeping his followers in a frenzy of excitement about what the authoritarian leader plans to inflict on their imagined enemies. Listen to this episode here.
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Trump’s Mental State Suddenly Takes a Darker Turn: “I’ve Gotten Worse”
As Trump ramps up the derangement in two new appearances, Ruth Ben-Ghiat, an expert on strongman rule, decodes his speeches to reveal the authoritarian impulses at their core.
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Former President Donald Trump speaks at a Turning Point USA Believers Summit conference in West Palm Beach, Florida, on July 26