To understand Trump, learn from his voters
To make sense of Donald Trump’s emerging presidency, it helps to understand the social and economic discontent that put him in office. Harvard Professor Michael Sandel took a hard look at those concerns during a Tuesday afternoon lecture called “Why Trump? What Now?” Sandel argued that Trump’s rise, whatever some people may think of it, was based on legitimate public concerns that weren’t otherwise being addressed. Addressing a full house at Harvard Law School’s Langdell Hall, Sandel first acknowledged the concerns of many of his listeners. “Many people around the world worry that the American republic is tilting toward tyranny. Many Americans worry too.” Trump’s presidency, Sandel suggested, is most comparable to Richard Nixon’s because both referred to the news media as enemies of the American people. “That phrase has a long and dark provenance,” he said. “It’s been used by Lenin, Stalin, Hitler, and Mao — big-league tyrants, as Mr....