Trump Cult

Over one summer of decision in Philadelphia, the Founding Fathers hashed out exactly who was unfit to govern.

Trump’s presidency may be best remembered for its cataclysmic end. But his four years as president also changed real American policy in lasting ways, just more quietly. We asked POLITICO’s best-in-class policy reporters to recap some of the ways Trump changed the country while in office, for better or worse.

The conspiracy theory has the best attributes of a multiplatform game, except that it can cause harm in the real world.

Art by Geena San DiegoPicture a group of people devoted to one all-knowing, omnipotent leader, who has been chosen by God to lead them, who channels the word of God, and who, eventually, becomes their God. Their beliefs encompass every aspect of their lives. They would turn on their own morals to heed their leader, shelter themselves from any criticism of their practices, show disdain for non-believers, and rely wholly on the word of their leader. According to sociologist and author Janja Lalich

It’s a test — and a source — of loyalty.

Donald Trump made voters a number of promises before they elected him. But has he kept his word?

About a quarter of campaign promises were fulfilled, about a quarter he compromised, and about half he did not achieve.

ed by a host of ”unknown others” in the militia movements of rural America.

Monocausality is at the heart of a lot of our dysfunction.

The magnate’s biographer explains the spiritual guide behind his relentless self-confidence.

President Donald Trump's last job approval rating is a personal low 34%. He averaged 41% job approval in office, a record low by four points.

Do you approve or disapprove of the way Donald Trump is handling his job as president?

A demagogue, or rabble-rouser, is a political leader in a democracy who gains popularity by arousing the common people against elites, especially through oratory that whips up the passions of crowds, appealing to emotion by scapegoating out-groups, exaggerating dangers to stoke fears, lying for emotional effect, or other rhetoric that tends to drown out reasoned deliberation and encourage fanatical popularity. Demagogues overturn established norms of political conduct, or promise or threaten to do so.

Charles Zug unpacks the differences and similarities between demagoguery and populism.

This is a tough column to write, because I don’t want to demean or insult those who write me in good faith. I’ve started it a half dozen times since November but turned to other topics each time because this needle hard to thread.

An expert on autocracy assesses how far America has slipped away from democracy, and what it will take to get it back.

“It would be the dumbest move ever," says Republican Rep. Don Bacon.

"Most all of us are contemplating leaving," one House Republican said.

We're told that populism is on the rise - but what exactly does that mean?

Populism, political program or movement that champions, or claims to champion, the common person, by contrast with a real or perceived elite. It combines elements of the left and right, opposing large business and financial interests and frequently being hostile to established liberal, socialist, and labor parties.

Donald Trump is not a man apart. He is, instead, merely one of us writ large.

The Republican Party's transformation is apparent at any Donald Trump rally: The crowd is filled with working-class voters, many without college degrees, who are in lockstep with him on issues where he has overhauled the party's platform, from immigration to trade to foreign policy.

Social scientists say polarization is increasingly based on a visceral dislike for the opposition rather than extremely divergent policy preferences.

The percentage of people affiliated with the Republican Party has declined in recent years, per polling firm Gallup.