Dani Rodrik: Trump’s coalition could collapse under the weight of its own contradictions

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Although Donald Trump came to office riding a wave of hostility against ‘elites,’ his enablers are leading members of the establishment and plutocracy. As was true during his first term, Trump has surrounded himself with a mix of conventional Republican politicians, Wall Street financiers, and economic nationalists.

But this time, these groups have been joined by members of the techno-right, represented most glaringly by Elon Musk, the world’s wealthiest person. What unites these groups, at least for now, is not Trump’s character or leadership. Rather, it is the belief that their specific agendas will be better served under Trump.

Conservative Republicans want low taxes and less regulation, while economic nationalists want to close the trade deficit and revive US factories. Free-speech absolutists want to end ‘woke censorship,’ while the techno-right wants a free hand to enact its own vision of the future. Irrespective of their pet projects, these groups all regarded Kamala Harris as a hindrance and Trump as an ally.

Most do not oppose democracy, per se, but seem willing to overlook Trump’s authoritarianism so long as their agenda is served. Press them on Trump’s anti-democratic impulses and contempt for the rule of law, and they’ll equivocate. During Trump’s first term, I shared my concerns with one of his leading economic advisors, but my interlocutor pooh-poohed my worries and said that Democrats and the administrative state were bigger threats.