Mac historian traces Trumpism’s roots to nation’s founding

“I have a delicate task to perform,” began historian and professor Dr. Gerald Horne. There is a balance, he explained, between his duty to the truth as a historian and his duty as a politically engaged person. The breadth of his lecture, titled “How Trump Happened: A View From History,” made that task no easier.

More than 500 people filled the Alexander G. Hill Ballroom at Macalester College on the evening of Friday, Feb. 6, to hear Horne speak as part of the Mahmoud El-Kati Distinguished Lectureship in American Studies. El-Kati taught at Macalester College and the University of Minnesota, and his work led to the creation of Macalester’s American Studies department.

While serving as a professor, El-Kati also spent hours teaching high school students in North Minneapolis and bringing education to churches, community centers, living rooms and coffee shops across the Twin Cities. The annual lectureship reflects that same mission, intentionally centering scholars whose work bridges theory and practice.

The lecture’s attendees ranged from college students and professors to neighbors and community members, as well as leaders and elders within the Black community. Most Macalester lectures typically draw attendees from the first category alone.

Sedric McClure, Macalester’s dean of multicultural life and one of the event’s organizers, identified El-Kati’s wisdom and legacy as the impetus for the high turnout. “He invited this notion of bringing the ‘town and the gown’ together,” McClure said. “That is to say, bringing community along with the campus … 

“Folks in the academy know a lot and contribute to our understanding of the world, both physical and social. There’s also truth in the community, and when we can bring those two elements together, I think we have a powerful learning moment.”

A traditional African drum band led by Christian Adeti opened the night, engaging the crowd in call-and-response and dancing, including music aligned with El-Kati’s “town and gown” philosophy.

“Music is so important to human beings,” McClure said. “And certain music is central to African people … I saw the elders and the campus community and the students really engaging and dancing … It resonated across the entire audience.”

The event’s role as a broader gathering of the Black community was part of why Macalester student Sihaam Barre attended the lecture. “It’s just really awesome to see how much the Black community here can thrive,” Barre said. 

“I brought all of my friends here as well so we could talk and have the space to continue to learn and hear from each other, especially with everything going on right now.”

Horne was selected as the event’s speaker before the launch of Operation Metro Surge, during which thousands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have carried out racially motivated deportations throughout Minnesota. In a dramatically reshaped state and country, spaces for marginalized people to build community feel particularly necessary.

Horne argues the country’s current position is not an anomaly, but the result of centuries-long historical processes. A political crisis, he said, is not an accident but an outcome produced over time. 

His work, which includes 45 books, spans a broad range of subjects, from biographies of W.E.B. Du Bois to histories of jazz. In response to multiple questions during the post-lecture Q&A, Horne noted that he had already written a book on the topic.

Horne’s breadth of expertise was evident throughout the lecture. His short answer to the question of “How Trump Happened” is class collaboration among settlers of European descent, regardless of socioeconomic status. 

That collaboration, he said, has been central to establishing the myth of American “whiteness,” which has been used as a colonial tool. “I see the election of the felonious Trump in 2024 as a step toward turning back the clock to the nation’s original white supremacist roots,” Horne said during the lecture.

The Red Scare of the 1950s, he continued, led to the disempowerment of the militant wing of labor unions. The left wing of liberalism, led by Paul Robeson and W.E.B. Du Bois, was “tossed overboard” in exchange for concessions by the right. Horne identified this trend as reappearing in the current administration’s efforts to dismantle Diversity, Equity and Inclusion practices.

Horne also connected the tactics used by the federal government domestically today to those used internationally and historically. “If a nation is founded on Indigenous genocide and mass enslavement of Africans, do not be surprised if violence inheres in the resultant society,” he said.

The connection between history and the present resonated with the audience. “What we see today is not accidental,” said Emery Mizero, a community member in attendance.

“Last night was a measure of community,” McClure reflected the following day. “It was a collective lift. 

Anya Armentrout is a freelance journalist and contributing writer for the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder.