In the first of a new series of essays, Clay draws comparisons between the inaugurations of Presidents Donald Trump and Thomas Jefferson.

The full essay can also be found on the blog.

"By not acknowledging the fact of the opposition—and making some gesture of his desire to represent them too, to find a way to win their approval—Trump spoke about 'the People' in a way that is merely demagogic and symbolic but without any fundamental truth or reality. ... Had he been a Jeffersonian, Trump would have acknowledged the polarization of the country."

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