In the organizer's words:

Donald Trump's second term as President of the United States began on January 20, 2025. Since then, he has consistently implemented "Project 2025", which was conceived by the nationalist-conservative Heritage Foundation. This aims to reshape the political system in such a way that the president can rule almost unrestrictedly by decree. The system of checks and balances on which the US constitution has been based for over 200 years is thus being undermined.

There are many indications that the transformation of democracy into an authoritarian state is in full swing: the deployment of the National Guard in states and cities governed by Democrats against the resistance of governors and mayors and the mass internment and deportation of migrants without due process of law appear particularly dramatic. Broad-based or organized social resistance to this approach has so far only been discernible to a limited extent.

The role of religions and churches in the rise of Donald Trump has often been discussed: Conservative evangelicals and Catholics see him as a force with whose help they can reshape society in their interests and reverse the liberalizations of recent decades. The most prominent Catholic among Trump's followers is Vice President J.D. Vance, a convert to Catholicism, but Catholics are also working in other important positions to build up the authoritarian state: R. Vought, Director of the White House Budget Office, used to work at Heritage. Leonard Leo, head of the conservative Federalist Society, ensured the very conservative character of the Supreme Court judges who were also Catholic: B. Kavanaugh, N. Gorsuch and A. Barret, who were appointed during Trump's first term.
What drives these people, what are their spiritual foundations and what significance do institutions such as the Bishops' Conference have for anchoring the MAGA movement in US society?

We are delighted to have Klaus Prömpers, a proven expert on the United States and (political) Catholicism, to discuss this question with us.

Price information:

15€ / reduced 8€ / free of charge with Kultursemesterticket