Donald Trump

Demagogues Are the Problem Children of Democracies

The Allure of Fearmongering and Empty Promises Has Seduced Citizens Since Ancient Greece

You wouldn’t know it by watching cable TV news, but the debate about demagogues—and their dangers—did not begin with Donald Trump.

Demagogues have been a problem for democracy for 25 centuries, at least since the populist Cleon persuaded his fellow Athenians to slaughter every man in the city of Mytilene as punishment for a failed revolt. Of that particular demagogue, Aristotle wrote: “He was the first who shouted on the public platform, who used abusive language, and who spoke with his cloak girt around him, while all the others used to …

Read More

How “The Donald” Trumps Satire

Supporters Aren't Laughing at the Overblown, Offensive, and Powerful Presumptive Presidential Nominee, They're Laughing With Him

By Leonard Freedman |

Our four-year presidential cycle is also a four-year satire cycle: Nothing provides fodder for humorists like a presidential campaign. That’s especially true this year. But while all the candidates have …

How Big Data Can Make Us Less Racist

Computing Power Can Help Us Make More Efficient Decisions About Who is Friend or Foe

By Bhagwan Chowdhry, Sanjiv Das, and Barney Hartman-Glaser |

Donald Trump wants to ban all Muslims from entering the United States and has called for a wall to keep out Mexicans, whom he has called rapists and criminals. Many …

The Pain Behind the Pennsylvania Primary

Trump's Working-Class Supporters Are Reeling From Job Losses, Drugs, and a Spike in Suicides

By Victor Tan Chen |

What’s driving disaffected voters to political outsiders like Donald Trump? One big factor is America’s abandonment of labor-intensive manufacturing, and its rush toward a hi-tech, eco-friendly, creative economy that excludes …

Why the Politics of Nostalgia Are Dangerous

Trump’s Pledge to ‘Make America Great Again’ Is a Recipe for Resentment—Even Revenge

By Gregory Rodriguez |

Nostalgia ain’t what it used to be. Once upon a time, I considered longing for a long-lost past a relatively innocuous exercise. I don’t really go for the iconic schmaltz …

Trump Is America’s Problem, Not California’s

Yes, the Golden State Is Hosting a Crucial Presidential Primary. But We Wouldn't Stop the Billionaire Candidate—Even if We Could.

By Joe Mathews |

Sorry, America, but we Californians are not going to stop Donald Trump for you.

To believe otherwise is to misunderstand California.

I can see how you got your hopes up. …


By continuing to use our website, you agree to our privacy and cookie policy.

✕

Get More Zócalo

No paywall. No ads. No partisan hacks. Ideas journalism with a head and a heart.

You may opt out or contact us anytime.

×