Historian of coups and right-wing authoritarians here

[blaze]

Link to tweet

Ruth Ben-Ghiat, Author of "Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present"

Historian of coups and right-wing authoritarians here. If there are not severe consequences for every lawmaker & Trump govt official who backed this, every member of the Capitol Police who collaborated with them, this "strategy of disruption" will escalate in 2021

And here is an opinion piece she wrote shortly after drump's inauguration (totally called it): https://www.cnn.com/2017/02/01/opinions/bannon-trump-coup-opinion-ben-ghiat/index.html


"We’re not even two weeks into the Trump presidency. Has your head exploded yet? If so, you’re right where Donald Trump and our shadow ruler, Steve Bannon, want you to be.

The onslaught of executive orders and threatening talk, while entirely in keeping with what Trump promised during the campaign, have left Americans of many political leanings feeling overwhelmed and fearful of what may come next.

The confusion and chaos generated at the bureaucratic and individual level by Trump’s most spectacular executive order – his ban of individuals from selected predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States – came in part from its sudden announcement. From enforcers to the public, many were thrown off guard.

Welcome to the shock event, designed precisely to jar the political system and civil society, causing a disorientation and disruption among the public and the political class that aids the leader in consolidating his power."

[soothsayer]

1. More from her

Link to tweet

?s=21

Ruth Ben-Ghiat
@ruthbenghiat
From a month ago, talking about Trump the destroyer coming in with a shock event (the ban on travel from Muslim countries) and going out the same way. I advise people to watch who collaborates with him in the next weeks: "they are showing you who they are."

Ruth Ben-Ghiat
@ruthbenghiat
The Transition. Shock events: when authoritarians give a jolt to the system to open up a window for exceptional action. That's what we're going through now.