The polarized reactions that Trump elicits amount to one kind of evidence that something new is afoot in today's populism. Since Inauguration Day, the "resistance" has treated Trump more like an abusive stepfather than an elected head of state. Then there's his base, whose loyalty in the face of one transgression after another is famously unflagging [...]

Trump, in sum, is not just any populist, but one who appears to supporters as a paternal authority. This overlooked truth also explains their unflagging loyalty to him. Trump, to them, is no mere president, but a protector who has their best interests at heart - which is why perpetual attempts to unseat him by denouncing his transgressions will never rock his base.

Nor is Trump alone in functioning as a super-daddy in a world where more and more children and former children grow up without an ordinary father in the home