Donald Trump has pushed the United States into what scholars and citizens alike increasingly recognize as a legitimacy crisis.

This is not a matter of partisan dispute, nor of disagreements over policy details. It is the breakdown of the very principles that have historically made American government appear lawful, accountable, and worthy of public consent.

At its core, legitimacy in the United States has rested on the constitutional order — the idea that rules apply equally to everyone and that the governed accept those rules because they had a role, however indirect, in shaping them. When presidents and lawmakers follow the law, respect elections, and operate within the boundaries of checks and balances, people may disagree fiercely about outcomes but still recognize the authority of g

See Full Page