I was nervous about Donald Trump. But I also recognized that he was an unusually compelling candidate in an age when they are few and far between. I remember the first time I heard him give a long, rambling, ad-libbed speech at a raucous rally. Itâ??s not just that I couldnâ??t look away; I didnâ??t want to. Trump was funny, charismatic, and vaguely charming but also quite obviously petty and vindictive. His rallies were more like faith-based festivals. This wasnâ??t politics as an end â?? it was politics as a means to something else, although I wasnâ??t quite sure what. But I did know that I had seen it before.
Itâ??s almost unfair to compare Trump to the democratically elected Islamists that I normally study, since Trumpâ??s open disrespect not just for liberal norms, but democratic ones as well, has been so unabashed. In his infamous statement during the final presidential debate, Trump refused to commit himself to democratic outcomes if his opponent won. Mainstream Islamist groups that participate in elections â?? whatever we think their true intentions are â?? have rarely gone this far.
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