David Frum to discuss motivations of die-hard Trump supporters at online event with Patt Morrison of LA Times on Feb. 15

Writer David Frum will join Los Angeles Times columnist Patt Morrison for an online discussion of the lingering impact of Donald Trump’s presidency on February 15. The event will begin on Zoom at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time. Free access can be obtained by registering at Eventbrite.

Currently a senior editor at The Atlantic, Frum was a speechwriter for President George W. Bush. Frum, a native of Toronto, obtained the White House position before becoming an American citizen.

Frum’s latest book, Trumpocalypse: Restoring American Democracy, was published by Harper in 2020. He talked about the book at a virtual event hosted by the University of Michigan’s School of Public Policy on October 5, 2020. A video of the discussion has been posted on YouTube.

At the event, Frum talked about what was motivating Trump and his hard-core supporters. Frum said Trump and his followers wanted not merely to exercise power but to assert dominance. “Dominance is something more than power. Power is always aimed at a goal. Power to do what?” Frum said. “Dominance is an end in itself. You’re not dominant for a reason. You’re dominant to be dominant. It’s its own satisfaction.”

Frum also talked about the importance of a shared sense of nationhood. The relaxing of national barriers had not led to a greater emphasis on all people’s common humanity, rather it had led to more emphasis on racial and cultural identities within nations, he said.

His previous book, Trumpocracy: The Corruption of the American Republic, was published by Harper in 2018. That year, he promoted the book at Washington, D.C.’s Politics and Prose Bookstore. A video of the event is also on YouTube.

Trump got support from his followers “not because of what he is delivering in material terms but because they see in him a reaffirmation of their core ideas about who should be on top and who should be subordinated,” Frum said at the bookstore.

In addition to Pulitzer Prize-winning work in the Los Angeles Times, Morrison has written two books. Her work as a broadcaster has been recognized with six Emmy Awards.

The February 15 virtual event is being organized by two Los Angeles-based organizations, Community Advocates, Inc. and Jews United for Democracy and Justice. Morrison has appeared at previous events hosted by the two organizations. Videos of those events can be found on the organizations’ websites.