Reading Hannah Arendt with Roger Berkowitz

Unpacking Trump's Revolution with Roger Berkowitz | Bonus Episode

Sep 5, 2025

The discussion dives into the revolutionary nature of Trumpism, suggesting it's not merely conservative but an attack on the liberal bureaucratic order. Berkowitz connects Trump's movement to Stalinist and Maoist principles, emphasizing violence and rule-breaking as tactics without clear objectives. He outlines the diverse coalition supporting Trump—ranging from religious factions to anti-bureaucratic elites. The conversation raises critical questions about democracy, political trust, and the evolving class struggle against liberal elitism.

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INSIGHT

Means Become The Message

Berkowitz cites Hannah Arendt to show a pivotal inversion: means become the doctrine, not the ends.
Trumpian politics valorize breaking rules and power as ends in themselves, not as means to a new legitimate order.

INSIGHT

Revolution Against Legitimacy

Trump’s revolution targets legitimacy and equality as obstacles rather than goals.
It prioritizes destruction, humiliation, and raw power over building alternative institutions.

INSIGHT

A New Anti‑Bureaucratic Class

Berkowitz describes a new revolutionary class united by resentment against credentialed elites.
They view judges, professors, and regulators as gatekeepers whose legitimacy masks class domination.

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In this bonus episode, host Roger Berkowitz reads from and discusses his two recent essays, 'The Revolution Against Legitimacy' and 'No Question Marks, Just Exclamation Points,' to analyze the revolutionary aspects of Trumpism. Berkowitz argues that Donald Trump's movement is not conservative or isolationist but rather a revolutionary effort aimed at dismantling the liberal intellectual order and bureaucratic systems. Drawing upon influences, Berkowitz explores how Trump’s politics prioritize power and destruction over new ideologies or institutions. He examines how Trump's approach mirrors Stalinist and Maoist principles, presenting violence and breaking rules as necessary means without a clear end goal. The discussion touches on the broader implications for democracy and the erosion of trust in political systems, setting the stage for a class struggle against perceived liberal elitism.

ABOUT:

Produced by the Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College, this podcast offers close readings of Arendt's books alongside engaging interviews and thought-provoking conversations. Released weekly, each episode provides listeners with a deeper understanding of Arendt's philosophy and its relevance to contemporary issues. Available on all major podcast platforms, listeners join us on a captivating intellectual journey through the mind of Hannah Arendt.

New episodes every Friday morning! Join Roger Berkowitz, Founder and Academic Director of the Hannah Arendt Center for Politics and Humanities at Bard College, as he discusses the works of German Jewish political theorist Hannah Arendt (1906-1975).

THE HANNAH ARENDT CENTER:

The Hannah Arendt Center provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, and nonpartisan thinking that reframes and deepens the fundamental questions facing our nation and our world. Become a member and enjoy several benefits including access to our virtual reading group that takes place every Friday: https://hac.bard.edu/membership/

More information can be found on our website: https://hac.bard.edu/ Follow us on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/hannaharendt/ and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hannaharendtcenteratbard/

THE HOST:

Roger Berkowitz is the Founder and Academic Director of the Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College. He is the editor of On Civil Disobedience: Henry David Thoreau and Hannah Arendt (2024), The Perils of Invention: Lying, Technology, and the Human Condition, and co-editor of Thinking in Dark Times: Hannah Arendt on Ethics and Politics (2009), and Artifacts of Thinking: Reading Hannah Arendt’s Denktagebuch (2017). Berkowitz edits the HA: Yearbook and the weekly newsletter Amor Mundi. He is the winner of the 2019 Hannah Arendt Prize for Political Thought given by the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Germany.

EDITED BY:

Alex Fox Tschan is the editor & co-producer of the “Reading Hannah Arendt with Roger Berkowitz” podcast. He is a working musician, creative producer, & audio/visual editor at his Brooklyn-based studio, The Fox & The Sound. With 25 years of recording & performance experience, Tschan’s recent projects range from indie-pop albums to audiobooks for McNally Jackson. A full spread of his work & collaborations can be found at pastelhell.com