LAUSR

Republicans to abjure Trump’s fiscal irresponsibility and deficit spending. Several chapters are noteworthy for novel perspectives on Trump’s legacy. Charles R. Kesler’s insightful essay, “Trump, the Republican Party, and American Conservatism: Retrospect and Prospect,” situates the forty-fifth president historically, noting that he was not a “movement Republican.” Rather, Trump espoused a type of conservatism linked to figures such as William McKinley, William Howard Taft, and Calvin Coolidge on issues such as immigration and the role of business. Glen Harlan Reynolds’s chapter “Donald Trump and America’s New ClassWar” places Trump’s populist appeal in comparative context, linking the phenomenon to dissatisfaction with elites in democracies elsewhere. Reynolds asserts that “Trump is the symptom of a ruling class that many of the ruled no longer see as serving their interest” (p. 76). The chapter by David Brady, Morris Fiorina, and Douglas Rivers, “The Future of the Republican Party: 2022, 2024, and Beyond,” presents a bevy of ideological, public opinion, and electoral data. The authors demonstrate convincingly how control of the White House and Congress is determined by a “sliver of a sliver of the electorate” (p. 51). Of note is Trump’s disproportionate impact on congressional candidate selection. Andrew E. Busch’s final chapter, “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly,” summarizes one of the most essential drawbacks of Trump’s political style. “While Trump’s policies opposed authoritarianism...his character pointed in a different direction” (p. 144). Busch suggests that future Republican hopefuls avoid the toxic elements of Trump’s divisive leadership approach and exploit incumbent Joe Biden’s failures by emphasizing fiscal responsibility and a stable foreign policy, national unity, fundamental rights, and limited government. This book is a serious and thought-provoking attempt to reconcile both the legacy and the future of the GOP as Trump continues to cast a long shadow over the party. Whether the GOP’s prospects will be eclipsed by Trump’s liabilities remains a critical question.