How the Words of Demagogues Seize Power
Several people have asked me in recent days, “As a philosopher, how do you explain Donald Trump’s electoral victory in the US presidential election on November 5, 2024?” I had just read Philippe-Joseph Salazar’s book, Contre la rhétorique. Comment les mots des démagogues prennent le pouvoir [Against Rhetoric], and I had prepared a review. As philosophical eternity meets political actuality from time to time, it seemed to me that I could contribute to the philosophical understanding of the present time, if I hurried to finish and publish an extended review of this book, which is presented here.