‘The Shamans and the Chieftain’
Timothy Snyder:
The political theory of Trump’s coup attempt is that all that
matters is the chieftain. He does not have to win an election,
because the chieftain has the right to rule simply because he is
the chieftain. Requiring Trump to win an election is thus a
provocation. The claim that he should leave office when he loses
an election justifies revenge. And of course retribution is
Trump’s platform.
The legal theory of Trump’s coup attempt, made explicit in
argument before the Supreme Court, is that the chieftain is immune
to law. There is magic around the chieftain’s person, such that he
need respond only to himself. The words “presidential immunity”
are an incantation directed to directed to people in black robes,
summoning them to act as the chieftain’s shamans and confirm his
magical status.
No issue has ever been more important in the history of the United States, and thus, in the history of democracy itself: Donald Trump lost the election in 2020 and tried, ham-fistedly, to spearhead a coup to remain in power by overthrowing the duly elected government of the nation. If he gets another chance by winning in November, the next coup won’t be as ham-fisted.
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Timothy Snyder:
The political theory of Trump’s coup attempt is that all that
matters is the chieftain. He does not have to win an election,
because the chieftain has the right to rule simply because he is
the chieftain. Requiring Trump to win an election is thus a
provocation. The claim that he should leave office when he loses
an election justifies revenge. And of course retribution is
Trump’s platform.
The legal theory of Trump’s coup attempt, made explicit in
argument before the Supreme Court, is that the chieftain is immune
to law. There is magic around the chieftain’s person, such that he
need respond only to himself. The words “presidential immunity”
are an incantation directed to directed to people in black robes,
summoning them to act as the chieftain’s shamans and confirm his
magical status.
No issue has ever been more important in the history of the United States, and thus, in the history of democracy itself: Donald Trump lost the election in 2020 and tried, ham-fistedly, to spearhead a coup to remain in power by overthrowing the duly elected government of the nation. If he gets another chance by winning in November, the next coup won’t be as ham-fisted.