Daily Signal News

Notre Dame Professor Patrick Deneen’s book, “Why Liberalism Failed,” was not a project undertaken to explain the Trump phenomenon after President Donald Trump’s surprise victory in the 2016 election. Nevertheless, it quickly entered the panoply of books, with Vice President JD Vance’s “Hillbilly Elegy” among them, that provided insight into a new era of not only American but Western politics. The book’s success, even featured on former President Barack Obama’s list of recommended books, ⁠catapulted Deneen⁠ to one of the most prominent academic figures in the West and his ideas to the forefront of America’s most contentious political debates. Much has happened in the years since “Why Liberalism Failed” was published. Liberalism managed to claw back power, first through undermining Trump’s agenda at almost every turn from within, and then through the empty vessel of former President Joe Biden. Yet, Trump was able to mount a surprising return in 2024 with a new resolve to dismantle the forces of liberalism