Donald Trump’s war on democracy is failing, Zack Beauchamp reports: not for lack of desire, but lack of ability.
Zack describes that blend of impulses — authoritarianism married with pervasive incompetence — as “haphazardism,” and it’s the story of Trump’s nearly 11 months back in office.
It’s also a useful framework to think about what comes next: “Failing” is not “failed,” and whether the Trump regime succeeds in moving past haphazardism to something more deliberate could ultimately determine the course of American democracy.
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—Elias Isquith, senior editor for policy, politics, and ideas
