Former President Donald Trump’s ascendance as the face of present-day Republican politics has been a study in the power of cognitive dissonance. Nowhere has this been more clear than in the rhetoric of conservative pundits. The same people who argue that “identity politics” has curdled public discourse refuse to acknowledge their own worldview as one predicated on white identity as the “natural” order. They decry gender-neutral toy potatoes as liberal overreach but see no problem with demanding the resignation of someone who admitted to feeling emotional about an inauguration.
