The Despot's Apprentice: Donald Trump's Attack on Democracy

by Brian Klaas

An ex-US campaign advisor who has sat with the world’s dictators explains Donald Trump’s increasingly authoritarian tactics and the threat they pose to American democracy.

Donald Trump isn’t a despot. But he is increasingly acting like The Despot’s Apprentice, an understudy in authoritarian tactics that threaten to erode American democracy. Whether it’s attacking the press, threatening rule of law by firing those who investigate his alleged wrongdoings, or using nepotism to staff the White House, Donald Trump is borrowing tactics from the world’s dictators and despots. Trump’s fascination for the military, his obsession with his own cult of personality, and his deliberate campaign to blur the line between fact and falsehood are nothing new to the world of despots. But they are new to the United States. With each authoritarian tactic or tweet, Trump poses a unique threat to democratic government in the world’s most powerful democracy.

At the same time, Trump’s apprenticeship has serious consequences beyond the United States too. His bizarre adoration and idolization of despotic strongmen—from Russia’s Putin, to Turkey’s Erdogan, or to the Philippines’ Duterte—has transformed American foreign policy into a powerful cheerleader for some of the world’s worst regimes.

The Despot’s Apprentice: Donald Trump's Attack on Democracy will explore how Trump uniquely threatens democracy—and how to save it from him.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, History, Audiobook, American, Political Science, Government

324 pages, Paperback

First published November 14, 2017

About the author

Brian Paul Klaas is an American political scientist, a contributing writer at The Atlantic, and an associate professor in global politics at University College London.

Reviews

[Tucker · Rating 5 out of 5]

How is Trump a "despot's apprentice"? The term applies because he does harmful, hateful, or just useless things that no ordinary U.S. politician from either major party would ever do. He turns expectations upside-down by sowing distrust of long-respected newspapers while legitimizing small, conspiracy-theorist media. He tells his own obvious, easily debunked lies. He sows distrust of courts, intelligence agencies, science agencies, and the Congressional Budget Office. He shrugs off other countries’ violations of human rights and democracy. He commits nepotism and flaunts major conflicts of interest. He wearies people with the sheer number of onslaughts “because you can't fight 100 battles all at once,” as Klaas puts it.

Klaas is an expert in despotism around the world. If he is alarmed, then we should be alarmed.

I don't know if any Trump supporters will pick up this book and read all the way through it, but I'd be interested in hearing their reactions to what I intuit as good moral observations with watertight support.

A much longer summary/analysis is on Dead Men Blogging.

[Conor Ahern · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brian Klaas is a guy I follow on Twitter. He's also a pundit of sorts, and a professor at the London School of Economics, where my best friend from college also teaches. I went to visit her in London in January and almost got to meet him, but the timing didn't work out. Regardless, he covers authoritarian rule in the modern age and warns of Trump's worryingly authoritarian inclinations.

This book is short but very thorough. Klaas catalogues the characteristics and tendencies of the authoritarian ruler through historical example, and describes the method of the autocrat's actions. For each tendency he notes, he articulates the ways in which Donald Trump has exhibited the behavior. The cumulative effect is disturbing.

But ultimately, and for the same reason that we all haven't scrambled for Canada, we know that Trump is not going to achieve autocracy in the United States. And this is for no other reason than that he is an incompetent fool. It's unnerving to note how little resistance a competent, determined Trump would find if he were to try to subvert our form of government, but for the time being we can be glad of small but important favors.

And Klaas notes the differences. Although he makes frequent comparisons between Trump and Hitler and Stalin and Amin, he is scrupulous about always pulling back and clarifying that Trump is really not in the same league as these folks, they just exhibit the same tendencies. What Klaas really does a fine job of is enumerating the ways in which our norms are being eroded, and how that primes the system for takeover by a competent Trump ("Trump 2.0") going forward. The Founding Fathers were convinced that democracy was a struggle to maintain, and we have gotten all too complacent with the idea that it can't be subverted, that our core institutions will endure. And none of that can be taken for granted in the age of Trump.

The question Klaas asks of us is: will we do enough to make sure that these weaknesses in our system are cured, or is Trump the more disgusting yet ineffectual harbinger of the despot to come?

[Peter Manale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wading through Trump's Toxic Swamp

A well-written, concise, and thorough critique of Trumpism. No great revelations for those who follow politics closely, but it puts the whole, sordid phenomenon in context.

[Malcolm Frawley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would really love it if this book had never needed to be written. Sadly, it did.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is copyrighted 2017, or a lifetime ago in politics.

Written in a style that is somehow breezy and concise, it is both sad and terrifying. It is/should be a wake-up call for US citizens.

Mr. Klaas doesn't like, to put it mildly, the former president. Nevertheless, he is fair. He points out that comparisons of Trump to Hitler, Stalin, Amin, etc., are not only inaccurate, but insulting to the millions of people who died in countries ruled by dictators like these men. Nevertheless, he points out Trump's authoritarian leanings, his contempt for democratic norms, his cozying up to dictators, and his ignorance of history.

How did he get so far? We let him. So many of us didn't vote in 2016, because we just didn't want to take the time, we weren't registered, or we didn't like either of the candidates. Of course, we didn't vote in the primaries either per Dr. Klaas (a total of 7% of Americans voted in the primaries for Clinton, and 6% for Trump).

Klaas lays out 4 possible scenarios for the future: 1) democratic decay, a slow erosion of democracy, 2) the forerunner, Trump is the forerunner for Trump 2.0, a friendly more intelligent but equally authoritarian Trump, 3) American authoritarianism, 4) the Trump vaccine. Trump vaccine inoculates us against authoritarianism.

As a born pessimist, I can hope for #4, but my fear is that we are facing #2.

This prescient book offers a final chapter titled How to save democracy. Reading it, I just don't believe that we have the fortitude needed. I don't believe we can look at ourselves and see what we have done wrong in the past and correct it. I don't believe we can elect principled people to represent us.

A very good, but ultimately, for me at least, depressing book.

[Caren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provided a lot of food for thought. The author, according to the blurb on the book, is a "fellow in comparative politics at the London School of Economics, where he focuses on authoritarianism and democracy". This book is not from a major publishing house, but the author's credentials sound good (http://brianpklaas.com/about/). The book consists of the author listing attributes of authoritarian governments which he has studied and their comparisons to what is happening with the current administration in Washington. Without sounding partisan, I would say it is worth hearing what he has to say and taking it as a cautionary note.

[James Madsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

After Donald Trump was elected President of the United States, I, with many others, held my breath and hoped against hope that the office would elevate the man. Sadly, there is now plenty of evidence that nothing of the sort has happened. Although the title of this book may seem like a politically based screed, the book itself, while not averse to pointing out the ways in which democracy is being eroded under this administration, is not a diatribe against President Trump but more of an examination of democracies and how they can fall, gradually or suddenly (the book proposes what the author considers to be four important ways that the current situation could evolve). It's a little short on correctives besides an appeal to become more involved before it's too late, but realizing that there is a problem is the first step to resolving it. I strongly recommend this book, which I admit I devoured in one sitting.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book I would recommend for all voters before the mid term elections this year, as well as the next presidential election in 2020. While the title suggests that this is just another book on the antics of Donald Trump -- I found that there was a lot more in this book that all voters need to start thinking about. Klaas' approach focuses more on a comparison between the various policies of the Trump administration and how they stack up against many of the dictators around the world. I know this is something that most Republicans don't like to hear -- and that many others will consider paranoia in the extreme. However, Klaas points out that Trump's very obvious fascination with these types of leaders is reflected in the decisions he is making here at home. Trump is mirroring his preferred role models in every decision he makes -- with significant consequences for the American form of government.

Klaas focuses on how these choices are impacting, and even damaging the American way of life, as well as how difficult it will be to reverse those damages once Trump is out of office -- regardless of how long he is in. Klaas argues that we as a voting public need to start engaging in the political process and force destructive political party divisions to be pushed from the governmental stage. His argument is that we can have differences of opinion on issues, without it dividing the country -- something that ALL of our current leaders are doing on a regular basis. Sitting down and rationally, as well as positively discussing these issues leads to effective government, while divisive party debates only lead to greater divisions among the people, and create more instability in the government as a whole.

This is a book I consider a must read -- especially as we prepare for the upcoming elections.

[Linda Lorentz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Books about politics and political figures is the last thing I am usually going to read. It has become increasingly obvious that since Jan 20 it is not business as usual in our country. Our democracy, whether you want to believe it or not, is under siege and it will simply cease to exist as a democracy unless we the people stop it - hopefully before it is to late.

After the inauguration, I started watching MSNBC's The Rachael Maddow Show & Lawrence O'Donnell's show the Last Word religiously. Due to that fact, I have been kept well informed about what is going on relative to Trump et.al. That became apparent as I read this book, it was telling me a lot which I was already was aware. The book was still interesting and informative.

If you are concerned about what is going on in the country of ours I would encourage you to read this book. It explains what is going on and points out how Trump is simply is doing what other despots have done through out history. He is not the first to attack the media or suggest locking up political opponents. We just never thought it would happen here.

[Jelan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Klaas is a highly educated expert in failed states, with expertise honed by years of experience in the field. But his book is definitely not a dry, academic treastise. It is a passionate, well-articulated plea for all of us to wake up, pay attention, be very concerned, and be more involved. Klaas' argument is well-organized thematically, focusing on key attributes that are the hallmarks of a despot. He makes his case with facts, figures, and words from the horse's mouth, sprinkled with many pages of footnotes, if you care to pursue them. For such a serious subject, it's a pretty quick read.and well-worth the effort. Prepare to be angry and disturbed.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I've read too many political books in the last 3 years and am just a little burned out. The author did interview people who have lived under authoritarian rulers and those parts of the book were interesting, but the rest of it is basically a re-hash of what we see and read every day.

[Glen Stott · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am a conservative, but in order to keep my perspective and self-check my conclusions, I read a lot of liberal writers. Occasionally, I find things that change my mind or, at least, cause me to tweak it a bit. When I say I voted for Trump, what I actually did was vote against Clinton. I didn’t much like him and his Presidency has been even worse than I expected—in some ways. In other ways, it has been better than I expected.

Klass has created a “Hate Trump” montage. The “Despot’s Apprentice” gave me over 200 pages of written material to study and examine. Full of arguments that twist and turn and exaggerate and misinform and rotate logic on it’s head to the point that even negative things I know about Trump seem okay, in this sense; Klass’s arguments are so obviously stretched to make each thing appear to be not just bad, but make Trump the worst President the country has ever seen, that I begin to question my conclusion—like maybe Trump’s not as bad as I thought.

Klass takes us to many despots he has studied and some he has met. He points out their most evil flaws and then shows us Trump has the exact same flaws though maybe not quite as fully developed—yet. In some clearly obvious cases where other US democratic politicians have identical flaw, Klass mentions them, but minimizes them. For example; sure, Kennedy and Clinton appointed family members to important posts, but their family members were more qualified than Trump’s family members, so nepotism wasn’t a problem for them. But Klass doesn’t make a convincing argument about qualifications.

Klass published this in November 2017 in the “Bombshell” phase of the media attack on Trump. That was when leaks and assumptions about the Mueller report we hailed as Bombshells that would not only destroy Trump’s Presidency, but land him in jail. Klass chose to ride on those bombshells and now that the Mueller report has come out, much of his book is dross dreck.

The basic problem with the book is that Trump can’t just be a bad man—he has to be the worst with absolutely no redeeming qualities at all—not one. And this is not opinion—it is fact. On the plus side, I learned a couple of things I didn’t know before. So, I give it two stars

[Stan James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oof.

For historical reference, this review was posted in August 2019. The book in question came out in late 2017, a little less than a year into Trump's term as president of the United States. That means there's been more than a year and a half of further events and actions to either bolster the case Klaas makes on how Trump is undermining democracy in America, or to provide evidence that Trump has "become" presidential and changed course.

Anyone who knows anything about Trump will know, of course, that the latter was never and is not a realistic scenario. Trump has no experience in government and in the time he has been president has shown little inclination to learn or improve, unless you count improvements on being a terrible person and a terrible leader.

This book is exhausting. Reading it is like getting punched lightly but continuously. It hurts but you go on, because the punching is bound to stop. But it never does.

In the short time span covered, Klaas documents all the horrible things Trump has said and done, underlining how just a few things have essentially kept America's democracy intact for now--mainly by the grace of Trump's incompetence and inexperience, and the still relatively strong (but weakening) bedrock that forms the democratic government the U.S. has had since 1776.

The problem, as Klaas points out, is that much of what holds U.S. democracy together, takes the form of political norms and traditions. Presidential candidates always release their tax returns. Presidents don't profit from their presidency. Presidents don't mollify dictators while attacking allies. But Trump doesn't care about norms--he bulldozes through them, showing how fragile democracy is when it relies on people being innately good, or at least respectful of what government should be.

Klaas makes it clear that Trump is not the first president to engage in lies and work at tearing down important government structures, citing Nixon as the obvious modern go-to equivalent, but in comprehensive detail, he lays out how Trump is so much worse--and therefore, more dangerous.

All of this is compounded by America's troubled history, something Trump has taken advantage of, choosing to divide and turn Americans against each other and the rest of the world. Klaas repeatedly shows how Trump is emulating despots both old and current, by assaulting the free press, by perpetuating damaging lies, by undermining trust in government institutions. The list--and examples--go on and on. As I said, it's an exhausting read.

The book ends with four possible scenarios (remembering that this came out before the 2018 midterms in which a glimmer of hope was raised when the Democrats won back the House of Representatives), three of which result in things getting worse. The first suggests a slow decay of democracy, as people grow numb and then indifferent to Trump's actions. The second offers the chilling scenario of a Trump 2.0 coming along and picking up from where Trump left off--but imagines the successor being much more intelligent, savvy, and able to appeal to a broad audience in a way Trump simply can't, making this person far more dangerous. The third scenario offers Trump the opportunity to use some kind of large scale disaster or terrorist attack to provide cover for further draconian actions under the pretext of national security. George W. Bush's popularity soared into the 90s following the 9/11 attacks. Trump's popularity could hit the lofty heights of fifty percent! More seriously, a country under attack or ailing is more vulnerable, and a person like Trump could easily take advantage of that to peel away rights and freedoms.

The fourth scenario offers Trump as a virus, with people banding together to make a vaccine to fight back. This did come to pass in the 2018 midterms, and there is some evidence that it is still a process that is advancing and not retreating. Trump, through it all, has not changed.

In the end this book didn't really offer me any new insights, but it did lay bare and in explicit detail just how thoroughly, through malice and incompetence, Donald Trump has carried on the work of chipping away democracy in America. Even if he does not get re-elected in 2020, the U.S. is looking at years or even decades to undo the damage already done.

It's hard to recommend a book like this, but Klaas makes his points clearly. The only fault I can offer is the idea he has of working alongside your political adversaries to keep government functioning and healthy. Klaas states what seems obvious--the Democrats and Republicans can disagree on specific policies, but must work together to keep the institutions of government strong and healthy. In an ideal world this could happen, but the current incarnation of the Republican party has been taken over by extremists who are of much the same mind as Trump. Those who oppose Trump's actions ineffectively offer criticism from the sidelines or say (and do) nothing at all, making them complicit and helping to enable Trump's behavior.

If you still hanker for a primer on how Trump's first year in power emulates the worst sort of authoritarian leader, The Despot's Apprentice will provide everything you might need. You might want to start by choosing a palette cleanser to read after, though.

[Marsha Hubbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

After watching author Brian Klaas speaking on one news show after another, I thought I was prepared to read his book, “The Despot’s Apprentice: Donald Trump’s Attack on Democracy.” This book kept me up at night. It still does. The threats posed are a constant reminder perhaps best stated by Ronald Reagan: ‘If we take it (democracy) for granted rather than rallying to defend it, one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.’

Klaas is an American writer living in London who has studied authoritarianism and democracy. He earned his doctorate from Oxford. He points out the Founding Fathers ‘feared but anticipated the rise of despots and demagogues.’ They believed the antidote was civic education and civic engagement. Look around. How much importance does studying civics play in our public schools or our daily lives? Sadly, not much. As a result, it was only a matter of time, according to Klaas, before an ‘opportunistic showman arrived on the political stage and dazzled his way to despotism.'

My copy looks like it’s been through a war zone with countless pages dog-eared and highlighted. It’s a book I will turn to again, and one I highly recommend. Being an informed American has never been more important. We can no longer look at despots and autocrats in other countries and think it can't happen here.

[Scribe Publications]

Brian Klaas uses his knowledge of the world’s despotic regimes to shed light on authoritarian tendencies in contemporary America. A chilling reminder of the very real threats the Trump administration poses to American democracy, and essential reading for those who want to do something about it.
Anne Applebaum, author of Red Famine

The Despot’s Apprentice is morally righteous in the best sense of that word. Brian Klaas offers an erudite and persuasive plea to resist both budding and aspiring despots, both in the United States and around the world.
Yascha Mounk, author of The People vs Democracy

Thank goodness for Brian Klaas. At a moment of unprecedented political crisis for the United States, he’s one of the very few experts to offer a much-needed global perspective on the Trump phenomenon. Trump, he shows, is less an exception than part of an ominous global trend: disillusionment with democracy. A sharp-sighted and urgently needed book.
Christian Caryl, editor of The Washington Post’s ‘Democracypost’ blog

A thorough and thought-provoking primer on the threat to democracy posed by — and I can’t believe I’m saying this — the current president of the United States.
David Litt, New York Times bestselling author of Thanks, Obama: My Hopey Changey White House Years

[Steve B · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fascinating book with regard to how authoritarian regimes acquire and retain power. Klaas shows how dictatorships show their disdain for fundamental human rights i.e. Freedom of the press, free speech, freedom of assembly, gender equality, civil rights to name a few. He also explains how autocrats silence opponents, manipulate the truth, scapegoat minorities, utilize nepotism and the military, rig elections ....all to stay in power. Sound familiar in Trump America? Perhaps, but Klaas is quick to point out that America has a robust democracy that has sufficient checks on those that would usurp the democratic process. But.....that does not mean that damage can not and is not being done. This is a must read for those that value the strength of a 200+ years of a democratic republic.

[ciaochow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Concise and engaging look at the shocking litany of antics Trump and his cohorts have been engaging in to break down democracy in the US. Future scenarios are presented as a way to warn us of what could happen if we continue to let him get away with it. A must-read.

[Jody · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Alarmist and alarming. We can't continue to sit back and watch out democracy erode. We must resist. Vote!

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good, although frightening, read about the tactics dictators used to obtain and maintain power applied to how Trump is currently deploying those tactics.

It feels weird to read now because so much has happened since publication but the points remain and have been reinforced for his subsequent actions.

The ending on how to protect democracy is the most important. Civic engagement and education need to improve. We need to dial back polarization and find common cause. Finally, we need to reinforce institutions and build new ones to protect against the potential tools, like gerrymandering, of the next would-be despot.

[Tom Schulte · Rating 3 out of 5]

This brief overview of Trump's presidency is admittedly one-sided and produced before the conclusion of the Mueller report as well as the 2018 midterm elections. It does a good job at succinctly summarizing the lines of inquiry open to Mueller on conspiracy with Russia to affect the election as well as obstruction of justice for the investigation. There is also emphasis on listing prominent Trump lies and racism. I think the authors could have done without the concluding "acts" of possible futures around the impulsive demagogue.

[Liz Shaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the Audible version, which isn't listed here. Weird since Audible is owned by Amazon, just like GoodReads.

Details about Trump aren't current as it only covers through 2017. But the information about despots around the world is fascinating and makes this worth reading.

[Rhianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

“You don’t know how lucky you are. Never take your democracy for granted. You won’t realize what it’s worth until it’s too late” (248)

Brian Klaas has studied despotic regimes throughout the world and interviewed many of their opponents, but this quote from Mikalai Statkevich, a Belarusian presidential candidate, has stuck with him recently as he considers the strength and seemingly permanently stable American democracy.

Right now, our forty-fifth president is nowhere near as cruel and authoritarian as despots around the world, from Putin to Kim Jong-un. However, he has become ‘the despot’s apprentice,’ utilizing a number of despotic tactics that undermine the core values of democracy. Other reviewers have commented that for those who keep abreast of current events, few of the events discussed in this book with be revelations, and they are correct, but this book sums them up nicely. Trump’s methods are not as fully developed as Putin’s in his suppression of political opponents and critics, but they severely violate the norms of the presidency, even beginning with his campaign when he refused to release his tax returns and wouldn’t place his business interests in a blind trust.

Of course, none of this book is really going to change any of his supporters’ minds; they’ll look at it as liberal hogwash that simply seeks to bring the president down. Admittedly, this book is biased against Trump, since the author worked on a campaign for a Democratic governor, and there are certainly times when he is obviously critical of the president’s particular beliefs and policies since he fundamentally disagrees with them. His clearly partisan beliefs do at times detract from his argument, where he resorts to name-calling and the like. However, Klaas’s extensive experiences interviewing authoritarian regimes’ victims, acting as an advisor to the EU, NATO, and NGOs, his frequent involvement as a commentator on major news networks and newspapers, and his doctorate in authoritarianism and democracy (made all the more impressive by the fact that he has accomplished all of this before the age of thirty-two) provide enough fodder to substantiate his claims that Trump’s methods are those of a budding authoritarian leader.

American democracy seems to be in a decline if we allow people such as Trump—or whoever the equivalent Democratic demagogue might be—to completely disregard the norms of democracy, through actions such as nepotism and the repudiation of nonpartisan government agencies. As Klaas argues, and Statkevich stated so eloquently, the preservation of democracy requires constant work and the setting aside of partisan squabbles. We need to refresh our system with politicians from both sides who are willing to compromise and won’t take lobbyist bribes. It will take a lot of work and increased civic awareness, but hopefully Trump has galvanized more people into political engagement. All in all, this book draws on many sources to make its arguments, and while I might wish it read as slightly less partisan than it is, I think it establishes its points saliently enough.

[Ailith Twinning · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's fine, I guess. I have lots of little disagreements with it here and there, because I've just gotten so far left I'm having to constantly check to see if I'm just being reactionary (and sometimes find I am).

But there's this little thought-experiment in it (bit more than halfway in) that basically goes "What if FDR had been more like Trump? We never enter WWII because Roosevelt has Japanese business deals."

I think there's a very, very real chance the world would have been a better place. Not some magical level of awesome or anything, but I can't, in my wildest imagination, see a post-WWII world where the US didn't fight that results in a world ruled by neo-liberalism and American (or German I guess) terrorism. And democratic socialism, especially after Stalin and Hitler died, could have turned out better. Really could have. As for all the suffering before they died off, I invite you to google Post WWII genocides, at least one of which was good old Churchill's watch. So, yeah, goddammit.

This isn't ignoring Germany and Japans genocidal imperialism -- just recognizing that the US did something not qualitatively different when it won. And began its reign with the terror of the bomb. And Trump's almost immediate use of the MOAB is far more Truman than it is this hypothetical FDR.

Not only does the little analogy not work, on any level beyond corporate entanglement -- but it suggests a distinctly more preferable outcome could have come if FDR has shared one of Trump's faults, instead of those of his contemporaries (bank ties and racism/imperialism in short).

I wonder what I'm blind to -- because I can't read any books about politics/history at this point without wanting to scream. But, seeing something is necessarily not seeing something else, so there's something equally blindingly obvious (love that phrase) I'm missing in each of these things.

Even a year ago I could at least channel my student-self and all that "unbiased observer" bullshit that was really just holding my biases so unquestioningly I didn't even realize they existed -- but I've completely lost touch with any version of my center-right self from college (when I was a registered Democrat). I mean, I've been moving left since Obama, but I started out as a right-wing libertarian. (My hero in highschool was Allen Greenspan and I thought we should actively prevent aid to Africa because Malthas. . .just, go kick my ass in the past for me).

[Larry Massaro · Rating 5 out of 5]

I admit, this is one of my echo-chamber reads: the title says it all, and Klaas details what I already think. With a few minor editorial lapses, The Despot's Apprentice is engaging and quite well written.

Klaas's premise is that--though Trump is not Hitler, or Stalin, or Putin, or Idi Amin, or Tayyip Erdoğan in Turkey, or Lukaschenko in Belarus, or Duterte in the Phillipines, or Ramzan Kadyrov in Chechnya (alas! I could go on)--his political impulses are innately authoritarian, self-aggrandizing, and contemptuous of democracy. Klaas demonstrates that autocrats everywhere share certain characteristics and employ the same tactics--a kind of despot's handbook--that Trump seems to be following: from doublespeak & FAKE NEWS, to LOCK HER UP & divide-and-conquer, to election rigging & dog whistles & race-baiting, to blatant nepotism and kleptocracy, Trump is employing the cynical tried-and-true tactics that have helped dictators, from ancient times to the present, grab and hold power. And, not incidentally, to enrich themselves.

Trump has been thwarted, somewhat, by the well established democratic and legal institutions in this country, but has successfully exploited our increasing polarization and the erosion of our civic culture. Most importantly, Trump has violated with seeming impunity a number of American ethical and political norms that until now we have not thought to write into law. We have expected our presidents to release their tax returns, for example, to work to unify rather than divide the body politic, to avoid conflicts of interest, to support democratic values around the world, to acknowledge the role of a free press, to embrace our allies, not to appoint unqualified family members and close personal friends to key government posts, not to call for the imprisonment of their political rivals, not to brag about sexual exploits, not to lie incessantly, not to conduct blatant misinformation campaigns, etc. Oh, well.

Klaas's conclusion is a bracing set of recommendations on how to reinvigorate our civic lives and prevent the loss of our democracy.

[Barney · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction."

This powerful quote from Ronald Reagan adorns the jacket and is referenced a few times in the book itself. In this scary extended thesis, Brian Klaas outlines the many ways in which Trump has begun to chip away at the foundation stones of freedom and democracy.

Sure it sounds a bit outlandish on the face of it, but Klaas never for a minute equates Trump with full-blown genocidal dictators around the globe. Instead he outlines how those autocrats came to power and how they consolidate it, and shows how Trump's record on the campaign trail and in the White House belies his own authoritarian tendencies. From nepotism to a total intolerance for critique or dissent, from threatening jail/inciting violence against his political opponents to a refusal to decry far-right supremacist groups, from the politicization of apolitical organisations such as NASA and the Congressional Budget Office to stoking existing tensions and divisions in America, his record so far is atrocious and deeply harmful.

Klaas is an expert on autocracy and dictatorships, and writes the most impassioned rallying cries to the protection of democracy I've ever read. Democracy after all is something to be cherished, a privilege by lottery of birth most of us benefit from but millions around the world do not. But it's never been more imperilled. So, everyone, go vote!

P.S. I also really recommend Klaas's Despot's Accomplice for a look at autocratic regimes around the world and how the West often intentionally/unintentionally contributes to their survival.

[William Nist · Rating 4 out of 5]

An analysis of Mr Trump's threat to democratic institutions in America...This timely work is a clarion call to action in an effort to preserve our democracy when it is being overtaken by Doublespeak, attacks on the Free Press, calls for locking up you political opponents, siding with authoritarian leaders while spurning democratic leaders, creating divisions and pitting them against each other, rampant corruption and profiting from high office, creating conspiracy in order to draw attention away from possible crimes, nepotism of unprecedented scope in the US, and employing propaganda outlets to confuse and obfuscate.

The book is long on analysis, but short on action to prevent any further movement to tyranny. He urges civic engagement, and I think there are powerful oppositions in play; whether this is adequate at this late stage of this crisis remains to be seen. The fundamental changes needed in our institutions are difficult--getting money out of politics, reforming the electoral process and electoral college, gerrymandering, public funding of federal elections--and might be impossible without a bipartisan 'metanoia' and a unprecedented public illumination.

This book should be read in every civics class in the US (assuming there are still civics classes in our High Schools). Our youth must understand the fire that we are playing with!

[Ietrio · Rating 1 out of 5]

Democracy seems to be what "we, the talking heads" tell that the idiot plebeians, the silenced others, need.

[Genie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very important book for today. Written by Brian Klaas, who had reported on autocrats and dictators around the globe, the author is able to distinguish between current Trump moves and their realistic mean8ng for America’s democracy. By warning readers against going too far, he is able to point out the very realistic threats to democracy that Trump does pose. Further, he then is able to make concrete suggestions as to what we can all do to save our democracy: vote, engage in meaningful discussion and action, work against gerrymandering, support the free press, and keep speak8ng out for the truth. There are a few errors throughout but they do not take away the importance Klaas’ message.

[Kyla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Klass has done his research and makes many good points. It's an interesting read, and still relevant, but I had to remove a couple of stars for 1. things that have already been proven inaccurate and 2. developments in the Trump administration are coming so fast that the book is already outdated in spots. I hope the author will consider doing a revised/updated version later, when some of the dust has settled.

[James Scheid · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written, clear and concise read about the threat to our democracy presented to us by the current White House Occupant. Klaas points out that the erosion of our democracy did not begin with Trump, but he is accelerating it. Klaas gives a glimmer of hope in the end but says it is our collective responsibility to preserve our democracy. A public that chooses to remain uniformed is a dangerous thing too.