Authoritarian Nightmare: Trump and His Followers

“‘Anyone who has had a serious “discussion” with a Trump supporter may have noticed that facts and logic bounce off right off them.’ So write Dean—yes, that Dean, still going strong nearly half a century after Watergate—and Altemeyer, a Canadian psychologist who developed the RWA [right-wing authoritarianism] Scale…By the authors’ account, Trump is nothing but a chain of personality flaws that he learned at the feet of his master, Roy Cohn, and secondarily from Richard Nixon, such lessons as’“if you have a vulnerability, tell everybody your opponent reeks of it.’ Whether Trump gains a second term or not, the authors conclude, the strong authoritarian base that exists in the country guarantees continued polarization for years to come.” —Kirkus Reviews