When Ignorance Governs

Trump's Return and Democracy Under Siege

Front cover of When Ignorance Governs by Stephen M. Fry

What happens when ignorance governs?

The campaign built a false reality. This book examines what happened when that false reality entered government.

From immigration enforcement and foreign policy to the Justice Department, the courts, Congress, and the civil service, When Ignorance Governs follows the effects of loyalty, revenge, and misinformation on American institutions.

Published September 1, 2026, the book asks what citizens and their representatives can do as the 2026 midterm elections approach.

How we got here, and what happened next. Weaponization of Ignorance examines the political conditions behind the crisis. When Ignorance Governs follows those conditions into government.