Identity Crisis: The 2016 Presidential Campaign and the Battle for the Meaning of America

John Sides, professor of political science, co-authored this in-depth account of the 2016 presidential election that explains Donald Trump’s victory. Taking readers from the bruising primaries to an election night whose outcome defied the predictions of the pollsters and pundits, he shows how fundamental characteristics of the nation and its politics―the state of the economy, the Obama presidency and the demographics of the political parties―combined with the candidates’ personalities and rhetoric to produce one of the most unexpected presidencies in history.