Source: Persuasion
by Stephen E Hanson & Jeffrey S Kopstein
“Donald J. Trump has returned to the presidency with a simple, radical ambition: to turn the American state into a family business. And business is booming: since Trump took office, he and his family have made an estimated $3.4 billion. Meanwhile, the scale of transformation of the American body politic has been jaw-dropping. Loyalty now counts for more than competence in government service, public office is openly monetized, and personal favor has replaced impersonal rule as the basis of authority. More than a century ago, Max Weber identified this form of government and gave it a name — patrimonialism.” (01/26/26)
https://www.persuasion.community/p/the-patrimonial-president