• Media type: E-Article
  • Title: The Trump Self-Coup Attempt: Comparisons and Civil–Military Relations
  • Contributor: Pion-Berlin, David; Bruneau, Thomas; Goetze, Richard B.
  • Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP), 2023
  • Published in: Government and Opposition, 58 (2023) 4, Seite 789-806
  • Language: English
  • DOI: 10.1017/gov.2022.13
  • ISSN: 0017-257X; 1477-7053
  • Origination:
  • Footnote:
  • Description: AbstractThe storming of the US Capitol building in January 2021 was a presidential attempt at a self-coup. To make the case, this article reviews elements of the Capitol assault and the events leading up to it, in light of the key conceptual components of a self-coup, and how those compare to attributes of other kinds of attacks on governments. The Trump self-coup will then be compared and contrasted empirically to other self-coups perpetrated by leaders. It is found that what separates successful self-coups from those that fail is whether the military backs the undertaking. Thus, a section is included on US military behaviour in response to Trump's attempts to gain military adherence for his political actions.