Masha Gessen on Donald Trump’s Lessons in American Democracy

Acclaimed New York-based journalist Masha Gessen believes US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is ‘a thoroughly American creation that poses an existential threat to American democracy’. At this Wheeler Centre talk in Bendigo, she’ll discuss the historical, economic and cultural circumstances that have enabled the ascendance of this utterly unorthodox political figure.

For Gessen, the story of Trump’s rise begins with September 11 and the ensuing siege mentality that gripped the United States. At Bendigo’s Capital Theatre, she’ll trace the enduring effects of those events on the American psyche, including the projection of dangerous leader-saviour narratives on the office of President. She’ll also discuss the social upheaval caused by the Global Financial Crisis and Trump’s masterful manipulation of weaknesses in the American media.

‘Whatever the outcome of the November election, the effect of Trump’s attacks on the institutions and customs of American democracy will last and reverberate,’ Gessen said earlier this year. Join her in Bendigo for a discussion of Trump’s past and of the implications of a Trump presidency. #gessenontrump

Presented in partnership with Bendigo Writers’ Festival and La Trobe University.