"The categories of citizenship, ethnicity, and belonging are always in flux, hazy around the edges... But this means that whoever screams the loudest can force and direct a drastic renegotiation. By turning unspoken assumptions into hateful rally chants, Trump is not merely destroying the norms of political speech but weaponizing them. He is cashing in on the easy trick of saying out loud what others barely dare to think. But his supporters are also enforcing the prohibition on his opponents’ taking part in the conversation. This is what happens first: a political force seizes the power to define its members as insiders and certain others as intruders. This is done in the name of protection of the motherland, which the newly marginalized are said to hate. Everything else follows."
At www.newyorker.com
