The Politics of Hate

“How did a leader as deeply secular and irreligious as former President Donald Trump manage to attract passionate support from eight out of ten white evangelicals? And from almost two-thirds of white Catholics as well, despite President Biden’s deep-rooted Catholic faith? Using a variety of methods and evidence, The Politics of Hate provides essential new insights into this phenomenon. Wilson explains why Trump’s heated rhetoric defending traditional values converted the sharply declining share of the American electorate who identify as white Christians to become the devoted base of the Make America Great Again movement.”—Pippa Norris, Harvard University
“Most books referring to the Christian Right are written by those far outside of the movement’s core constituency and with little understanding of religion or theology. Not this one. The Politics of Hate is especially valuable now that some of the old-guard groups like the Moral Majority are gone and others, like Focus on the Family, have shifted their attention. Wilson provides the most comprehensive guide to the core groups of the movement that I have ever seen, and her detailed strategies are fascinating, in part because of her personal anecdotes from attending the various events. The Politics of Hate provides a higher-level look at what is going on that is independent of the actions of individual groups.”—Clyde Wilcox, Professor of Political Science at Georgetown University, and coauthor of The Interest Group Society, 4th edition