How Did Democracy Become So Vulnerable In America? Donald Trump Is A Shrill Warning Of The Political System's Fragility, But He Alone Is Not The Problem. The Vulnerability Is Broader And Deeper - And Looms Still. Even Before Trump Ran For President, His Disdain For The Rules And Norms Of Democracy And The Us Constitution Was Well-known By Many Prominent Republicans Who Were Unable To Stop His Nomination. Trump's Presidency Is The Culmination Of A Series Of Political Decisions Since The Late 18th Century That Ceded Party Nominations To Small Cliques Of Ideologues. 'democracy Under Fire' Provides A Readable, If Disturbing, History Of American Democracy And Proposes Recommendations To Restore It.