This book provides some much-needed clarity to the ideas and actions of the American founders—primarily Franklin, Washington, Madison, and Hamilton—in creating the United States and its government and how Donald Trump and Trumpism challenge these founding ideas and institutions. Important to this examination is the influence of Enlightenment and even earlier political philosophers on the founders. Political thought created a valuable learning tool for the founders and demonstrated the constancy of behavior and government. Talbott (Brookings Institution) simply and concisely traces the founders' connections to political thought and explains how and why these ideas impacted their actions. Trumpism upends the founders' work by rejecting the norms they created through these foundational ideas. Talbott clearly expresses the conflict between founding ideas, including fears and warnings, and the actions of Trump and his administration up to September 2020. This book provides a valuable introduction to comparing founding ideas and the effects of the initial output of Trumpism on American government. Recommended.

Choice Reviews