The coming crisis

What happens if Trump claims he's the victim of 'a coup'?

An American flag coming apart at the seams.
(Image credit: Anton Oparin / Alamy Stock Photo)

This is the editor's letter in the current issue of The Week magazine.

The most telling aspect of a crazed partisan's 50-round assault on Republican lawmakers last week was that it was not all that surprising. Horrifying, yes. Shocking, no. Mass shootings have become as commonplace in this country as wildfires; partisan hatred has reached a fever pitch unseen since the 1960s, and perhaps the 1850s. Millions of people despise the other political tribe with a visceral passion, and the other tribe loathes them right back. Two decades ago, according to Pew Research, just 21 percent of Republicans and 17 percent of Democrats gave the other party a "very unfavorable" rating. By last year, that contempt rating had shot up to 58 percent and 55 percent, respectively. More troubling still: 45 percent of Republicans and 41 percent of Democrats view the other party as "a threat to the nation's well-being." Combine apocalyptic panic with the most polarizing presidency in modern times, frequent and increasingly violent conflicts between far-left and far-right protesters, and 300 million or so firearms, and you've got a nation whose RPM needle is climbing into the red zone.

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William Falk

William Falk is editor-in-chief of The Week, and has held that role since the magazine's first issue in 2001. He has previously been a reporter, columnist, and editor at the Gannett Westchester Newspapers and at Newsday, where he was part of two reporting teams that won Pulitzer Prizes.