Caligae Trump Jackboots
The Appeal of Donald Trump to Old America
This was originally published on November 9th 2016 after Donald Trump secured enough states to win the Electoral College and defeat Hillary Rodham Clinton. I am republishing this on Substack because, once again, Donald Trump is an underdog against the Democratic establishment, and he is once again appealing to his supporters as a Caesarian tribune and protector of the people. Why that appeal works should be taken seriously even if one rejects Trump.
The election is over, and many still do not understand President-elect Donald Trump’s appeal. Throughout the West, the adherents of enthusiastic open globalism compete with the proponents of wary, often restrained engagement. Donald Trump’s ironic rise to leader of the “restraint” party in the United States continues to perplex even as the coffee and Monster wear off, and we begin our morning commutes; some Americans wake in profound shock, others fearfully look in a mirror, and see the citizens of a country they do not recognize. What follows is one interpretation of what happened in 2016.
