New book highlights the people and institutions that have become Trump's enablers
A forthcoming book examines how prominent figures across American institutions became enablers of Donald Trump's agenda during his presidency, arguing that authoritarianism advances not through violent overthrow but through institutional capitulation.
Jacob Weisberg's "Profiles in Cowardice: A Study of Collaboration in the Trump Era," set for release on September 15, profiles eight individuals who facilitated Trump's influence through their positions in business, finance, law, politics and higher education. The book's title deliberately inverts John F. Kennedy's Pulitzer Prize-winning 1957 work "Profiles in Courage," which celebrated eight U.S. Senators who displayed political bravery despite fierce opposition.
Who are the enablers profiled?
Among those profiled are Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman, prominent New York attorney Brad Karp, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, and Dartmouth College president Sian Beilock. Through these case studies, Weisberg explores how authoritarianism can take root in an open society not by overthrowing institutions, but by bending and bullying them into submission.
About the author
Weisberg brings substantial credentials to this analysis. He co-founded Pushkin Industries, an audio content company, with Malcolm Gladwell in 2018 after serving as editor-in-chief of The Slate Group. He currently chairs The Committee to Protect Journalists and contributes regularly to the New York Review of Books. His previous works include "The Bush Tragedy," a 2008 New York Times bestseller, and a 2016 biography of Ronald Reagan, demonstrating a longstanding engagement with presidential administrations and political leadership.
The book has garnered advance praise from respected historians and journalists including Jill Lepore, Anne Applebaum, and Tina Brown, suggesting it has resonated with those who closely follow American political institutions.
The central argument
Weisberg's central thesis challenges the assumption that democratic collapse requires dramatic confrontation. Instead, he argues that the erosion of democratic norms occurs through the gradual accommodation of powerful institutions and their leaders. By profiling figures from diverse sectors—technology, finance, legal practice, electoral politics, and academia—the book suggests this pattern of enablement extended across American society rather than being confined to any single domain.
The timing of the book's release, during an ongoing national conversation about institutional accountability and democratic resilience, positions it as a contribution to debates about how American institutions responded to unprecedented political pressures. Rather than focusing solely on Trump himself, Weisberg directs attention to those who held positions of authority and chose paths of accommodation over resistance.
The work joins a growing body of analysis examining the Trump era's impact on American institutions, but distinguishes itself through its focus on individual decision-makers and the specific choices they made when confronted with demands that challenged established norms and practices.
