Steven Levitsky Quote
The second category in our litmus test is the denial of the legitimacy of one’s opponents. Authoritarian politicians cast their rivals as criminal, subversive, unpatriotic, or a threat to national security or the existing way of life. Trump met this criterion, as well. For one, he had been a birther, challenging the legitimacy of Barack Obama’s presidency by suggesting that he was born in Kenya and that he was a Muslim, which many of his supporters equated with being un-American. During the 2016 campaign, Trump denied Hillary Clinton’s legitimacy as a rival by branding her a criminal and declaring repeatedly that she has to go to jail. At campaign rallies he applauded supporters who chanted Lock her up!
Steven Levitsky
The second category in our litmus test is the denial of the legitimacy of one’s opponents. Authoritarian politicians cast their rivals as criminal, subversive, unpatriotic, or a threat to national security or the existing way of life. Trump met this criterion, as well. For one, he had been a birther, challenging the legitimacy of Barack Obama’s presidency by suggesting that he was born in Kenya and that he was a Muslim, which many of his supporters equated with being un-American. During the 2016 campaign, Trump denied Hillary Clinton’s legitimacy as a rival by branding her a criminal and declaring repeatedly that she has to go to jail. At campaign rallies he applauded supporters who chanted Lock her up!
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About Steven Levitsky
A comparative political scientist, his research interests focus on Latin America and include political parties and party systems, authoritarianism and democratization, and weak and informal institutions.
He is notable for his work on competitive authoritarian regimes and informal political institutions.