The Trump Assassination Attempt and How ‘The Reactionary Spirit’ is Threatening Democracy Worldwide

Following the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, far-right Republicans pointed fingers at President Joe Biden, blaming his warnings about Trump’s threats to democracy for instigating the violence. For Vox reporter Zack Beauchamp, this “should cause us to reflect more broadly on how our political leaders should respond to political violence in our country.” For the last decade Beauchamp has been covering global challenges to democracy — and why democratic countries with deep political divisions can become vulnerable to violence and autocracy. We reflect on the assassination attempt and where it leaves us as a nation. Beauchamp’s new book is “The Reactionary Spirit: How America’s Most Insidious Political Tradition Swept the World.”