Ep. 1319: Do We Have an Elected Monarchy?
Summary
Brian McClanahan critiques Jamal Bowen’s New York Times article, which argues that Donald Trump is establishing an American monarchy and shredding the Constitution. McClanahan dismisses this as hypocritical, noting that the left ignored similar executive overreach under Obama and Biden while previously advocating for federal control of elections to prevent state-level cheating. He contends that the "elected monarchy" is a long-standing structural flaw of the U.S. system, making Trump a symptom of the disease rather than its cause. The episode also touches on the trade war with Canada and th…
Topics discussed
Sponsors and show introduction
Critique of Jamal Bowie's selective outrage
Trump as a symptom of the elected monarchy
History of election rigging since 1960
Federal vs state control of elections
The post-liberal right and constitutional relevance
Promotion of John Marshall history class
Historical precedents of monarchical presidents
Lese majeste and the right to criticize leaders
Bowie's argument on free expression and monarchy
Debunking claims of new monarchical pretensions
Executive orders as royal decrees across parties
The imperial presidency and historical context
Trump's lawsuits against news organizations
Partisan double standards in political critique
Trump's view of the general will and state
Trade war with Canada and monarchical ego
Constitutional debates on elected monarchy
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