Trumpism, Carl Schmitt, and the Threat of Anti-Liberalism in the United States

Book excerpt: Trumpism, Carl Schmitt and the threat of Anti-liberalism in the United States: The Political Thought of Donald Trump and Trumpism examines the phenomenon of Trumpism as it intersects with political theory. Unlike many pundits who have been at a loss to explain Donald Trump, Trumpism, or its appeal, Roberta Adams does not dismiss Trump or Trumpists. She argues that they are neither ignorant nor inconsistent. The author argues that Trumpism represents an alternative political paradigm by placing its approaches and ideas in a larger anti-liberal tradition, specifically the ideas espoused by Carl Schmitt. By examining Trumpism through the lens of Schmitt’s work Adams reveals the coherence of Trumpist thought. The author traces that consistency through the concepts of authority, democracy, and citizenship and explain how rather than a return to American constitutional principles, Trumpism is an abandonment of them. Adams argues that Trumpism presents a theoretical challenge to America, but one which is anti-liberal and anti-constitutional. The author also discusses methods for protecting constitutionalism, without regard to partisanship or policy goals.