The Gist

Will Democracy Survive Trump?

Cass Sunstein had big thinkers write about the question, and they weren’t all optimistic.

The presidential seal is seen on a podium on the south lawn of the White House in Washington on Dec. 20.

Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

Listen to Episode 953 of Slate’s The Gist:

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On The Gist, before Donald Trump’s headline-hogging presidency, things like bridge collapses made news for more than a few days.

In the interview, Cass Sunstein’s new book asks if the U.S. is fundamentally immune to authoritarianism, or whether president Trump has proved the opposite. His new book—Can It Happen Here?: Authoritarianism in America—puts the question to more than a dozen leading writers.

In the Spiel, Betsy DeVos is totally incompetent, but at least that’s made obvious every time she speaks.

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Twitter: @slategist