A President for Dark Times: the Age of Reason Meets the Age of Trump

An analysis of the phenomenon of Donald Trump’s presidency against the backdrop and contrast of the European Enlightenment’s influence on the Founders of the United States. This lecture analyses the phenomenon of Donald Trump’s presidency against the backdrop and contrast of the European Enlightenment’s influence on the Founders of the United States. It also explains why his stark antithesis to Enlightenment values was a winning strategy in the 2016 presidential election and how it resonates with a shift from liberalism to populism, nativism, and authoritarianism. It also examines political forces in the U.S. that are opposing Trump as he ramps up his campaign for a second term.