Trumpism, Bigotry, and the Threat to American Democracy

Larry N. Gerston is political science professor emeritus at San Jose State University.

• AcknowledgmentsIntroductionPart I: The Delicacy of DemocracyChapter 1: Democracy’s Promise and PerformanceChapter 2: Why Democracies DeclinePart II: The Impact of BigotryChapter 3: Bigotry as a Threat to DemocracyChapter 4: Racism in the United States: A Brief HistoryChapter 5: Donald Trump and BigotryPart III: Trumpism: An American Brand of AuthoritarianismChapter 6: Trump, Bigotry, and the 2016 Presidential ElectionChapter 7: A Bitter PresidencyChapter 8: Trump, Bigotry, and the 2020 ElectionChapter 9: The January Sixth Insurrection: Before, During, and After Chapter 10: Trump on the Wane?Part IV: Trumpism, Bigotry, and the Threat to American DemocracyChapter 11: Understanding the Threat to American DemocracyChapter 12: Saving the American ExperimentBibliographyAbout the Author

In Trumpism, Bigotry, and the Threat to American Democracy, Gerston examines the historical aspects of Trump's bigotry. According to Gerston, Trump's bigotry is a divide-and-conquer strategy directed at undermining the rule of law and establishing Trump as a dictatorial authority. Gerston describes in detail how Trump's hatred is destructive to the various social segments that make up American democracy. An important underlying point in Gerston's analysis is how Trump has been able to mobilize and direct a social segment that is willing to embrace his irrationality. The book concludes by evaluating the lingering threat of Trumpism to American democracy and how to safeguard the American experiment. A concise history of Trump and Trumpism. Highly recommended. All readership levels, but especially general readers.