A New York Times Book Review Editor's Pick What Happens to Democracy When a Demagogue Comes to Power? "It is hard to imagine understanding the Trump presidency and its significance without reading this book.” ―Bob Bauer, Former Chief Counsel to President Barack Obama What―and who―is a demagogue? How did America’s Founders envision the presidency? What should a constitutional democracy look like―and how can it be fixed when it appears to be broken? Something is definitely wrong with Donald Trump’s presidency, but what exactly? The extraordinary negative reaction to Trump’s election―by conservative intellectuals, liberals, Democrats, and global leaders alike―goes beyond ordinary partisan and policy disagreements. It reflects genuine fear about the vitality of our constitutional system. The Founders, reaching back to classical precedents, feared that their experiment in mass self-government could produce a demagogue: a charismatic ruler who would gain and hold on to power by manipulating the public rather than by advancing the public good. President Trump, who has played to the mob and attacked institutions from the judiciary to the press, appears to embody these ideas. How can we move past his rhetoric and maintain faith in our great nation? In The Demagogue’s Playbook , acclaimed legal scholar Eric A. Posner offers a blueprint for how America can prevent the rise of another demagogue and protect the features of a democracy that help it thrive―and restore national greatness, for one and all. “Cuts through the hyperbole and hysteria that often distorts assessments of our republic, particularly at this time.” ― Alan Taylor, winner of the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for History A New York Times Book Review Editor's Pick "Posner takes us through the dangers of the charismatic, amoral, institution-destroying firebrands of American history to help us understand the specific threat that President Trump poses to the republic. His conclusion: Trump’s threat is a dire one." ―Colin Woodard, The Washington Post "A great virtue of Posner’s conceptual scheme is that it allows him to focus on those aspects of Trump’s presidency that are of lasting significance. Instead of condemning demagogues for any phrase or policy he happens to dislike, he zeros in on their dangerous habit of positing a conflict between the people and the very institutions that have historically enabled them to exert their power...It is difficult to argue with Posner’s conclusion." ―Yascha Mounk, The New York Times Book Review "T he Demagogue’s Playbook is a well-written and -sourced work of pop-scholarship, with a narrative style that moves briskly without skimping on important historical and cultural details." ― The Bulwark "Posner's splendid book surveys the demagogic personalities that have arisen in our republic. His rogue's gallery profiles Andrew Jackson, Georgia's Tom Watson, Huey Long, Father Charles Coughlin, Sen. Joseph McCarthy and George Wallace... Posner, who has impressive mainstream (not liberal) legal credentials, minces no words in his verdict about Trump and Trumpism." ― Colorado Springs Gazette "Read this immensely important book." ―Samantha Power, former US ambassador to the UN and Pulitzer-Prize winning author, on Twitter "How do we recognize a demagogue when we see one? In this insightful book, Eric Posner shows us that although democracies are inherently vulnerable to demagogues, America has seen remarkably few of them. Until now. The Demagogue’s Playbook makes a compelling case that Donald Trump differs from nearly all other flawed, dishonest, or populist politicians that have passed through American politics. He is a true demagogue―a living manifestation of one our Founders’ greatest fears. This is an important read for anyone concerned about the fate of American democracy." ―Steven Levitsky, Harvard University, and New York Times bestselling co-author of How Democracies Die "An almost novellike stroll through American history…An insightful analysis into what went wrong with the Founders’ dream." ― Kirkus Reviews "Professor Posner has made an outstanding, superbly written analysis of how Donald Trump has drawn on the 'demagogue’s playbook' to win a presidency that is severely testing our constitutional democracy. He provides crucial historical perspective on the demagogue as a distinctive and dangerous brand of leader in the American political experience―and on the erosion of the protections that the Founders hoped to have built against a full-fledged demagogue's capture of the White House. It is hard to imagine understanding the Trump presidency and its significance without reading this book.” ―Bob Bauer, Former Chief Counsel to President Barack Obama “[A] skillful survey of American political history. [Posner] delivers a powerful argument for the need to restore constitutional safeguards against demagoguery.” ― Publishers Weekly "A brilliant and highly