How the Bernie Goetz Shootings Explain the Trump Era

Without Trumpism, Democrats and anti–Donald Trump conservatives tell themselves, America can once again be the nation it always was. This political moment, many feel certain, is an aberration, an unfortunate detour from who we are and what we stand for. Surely, they hope, if the MAGA Republicans can just be unseated in this fall’s midterm elections, then once Trump leaves office, this country can get back on track.

But the political space we inhabit has deep roots. It did not erupt out of nowhere in 2016.