Lisheng Dong is a Professor of Political Science. He holds a Ph.D. in Political and Social Sciences from the University of Antwerp, Belgium. In 2012, he received the Pierre de Celle Award for the best paper from the International Association of Schools and Institutes of Administration. Since 2015, he has been Chair Professor and Visiting Professor at the Universities of Glasgow (UK), Tartu (Estonia), and Zurich (Switzerland). He is also a former Dean and Professor at the Department of Government and Public Policy, University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Lisheng Dong has published 21 academic books and 60 peer-reviewed journal articles and contributed chapters to 23 books.

• Chapter 1. Introduction: Democracy at a Threshold--Trump, Populism, and the Architecture of Power.- Part I: The Cultural and Information Battleground.- Chapter 2. Academic Elites and the Power of Knowledge.- Chapter 3. Celebrity Influence and Entertainment Politics.- Chapter 4. Mainstream Media, Agenda-Setting, and “Fake News”.- Chapter 5. Elon Musk and Trump’s Return to the White House.- Part II: Tech Titans and Global Reverberations.- Chapter 6. Tech Titans in the Political Arena.- Chapter 7. Global Reactions and International Media Coverage.- Part III: Polling, Legal Challenges, and Political Violence.- Chapter 8. Polling Failures and the Mirage of Public Opinion.- Chapter 9. Legal Controversies, Impeachments, and “Political Persecution”.- Chapter 10. Violent Flashpoints and Conspiracy Theories.- Part IV: Deep Structural Power and Societal Realignment.- Chapter 11. Cryptocurrency as Rebellion: Grassroots Populism and Monetary Dissent.- Chapter 12. Cryptocurrency as Strategy: Elite Realignment and the Weaponization of Digital.- Chapter 13. Political Fractures Across Generations and Identities.- Chapter 14. Identity Politics and Democratic Fragmentation: Navigating Divisions in the Trump Era.- Part V: Integration, Polarization, and Democratic Futures.- Chapter 15. The Evolution of Trumpism: From Disruption to Institutionalization.- Chapter 16. Shadow State and Democratic Resistance: Bureaucracy, Oligarchy, and Reform in a Post-Trump World.- Chapter 17. American Caesarism and Institutional Erosion: How Populism Coexists with Elite Rule.- Chapter 18. Polarization, Paralysis, and the Future of American Democracy.- Chapter 19. The Techno-Political Horizon: Digital Sovereignty, Artificial Intelligence, and the Future of Power.- Chapter 20. Conspiracy, Disinformation, and the Erosion of Trust.- Chapter 21. Conclusion: The Struggle for the Democratic Imagination.