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, including
attacking the press, threatening rule of law by firing those who investigate his alleged wrongdoings, using nepotism to staff the White House, andcountless other techniques.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. 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 explores how Trump uniquely threatens democracy―and how to save it from him.
About the Author :
Brian Klaas is a contributing writer for The Atlantic, host of the award-winning Power Corrupts podcast, and frequent guest on national television. Klaas has conducted field research across the globe and advised major politicians and organizations including NATO and the European Union. He grew up in Minnesota, earned his DPhil at Oxford, and is now a professor of global politics at University College London. He You can find him at BrianPKlaas.com and on X @BrianKlaas.
David Talbot is the author of the New York Times bestseller Brothers: The Hidden History of the Kennedy Years and the acclaimed national bestseller Season of the Witch: Enchantment, Terror, and Deliverance in the City of Love. He is the founder and former editor-in-chief of Salon, and was a senior editor at Mother Jones and the features editor at the San Francisco Examiner. He has written for the New Yorker, Rolling Stone, Time, the Guardian, and other major publications. Talbot lives in San Francisco.
Patrick Lawlor, an actor, director, and combat choreographer, is an Earphones Award-winning narrator.
Review :
"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 dictators, both in the United States and around the world."
-- "Yascha Mounk, Harvard lecturer, Slate columnist, and author of The People vs Democracy"
"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"
"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 that the Trump administration poses to American democracy, and essential reading for those who want to do something about it."
-- "Anne Applebaum, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for the Washington Post"
"If you care about American values, our Constitution, democracy, freedom of the press, the rule of law, and the future of your children and the planet--read this book!"
-- "Arthur I. Blaustein, chairman of the National Advisory Council on Economic Opportunity under Jimmy Carter and author of Make a Difference"
