# Ta-Nehisi Coates on Trump's Power and DSA Momentum > Coates calls Trump the most visionary president, DSA gains traction ahead of midterms. - Title: Ta-Nehisi Coates on Trump's Power and DSA Momentum | Shortify - Summary: Coates calls Trump the most visionary president, DSA gains traction ahead of midterms. Ta-Nehisi Coates argues Donald Trump has fundamentally altered… - Keywords: ta-nehisi-coates, donald-trump, democratic-socialists-of-america, dsa, midterms, president, power, norms, uncommitted-movement, kamala-harris, Ta-Nehisi, Coates - Source: Vanity Fair — https://vanityfair.com/story/fair-game-ta-nehisi-coates - Author: Mark Guiducci - Published: 2026-10-15T14:20:43.222+00:00 - Read time: 2 min - Topics: ta-nehisi-coates, donald-trump, democratic-socialists-of-america, dsa, midterms, president, power, norms, uncommitted-movement, kamala-harris ## Coates on public intellectual label Coates hates the term public intellectual, saying it implies someone who just dispenses thoughts without doing the work. > I fucking hate it ## Trump as visionary politician Coates calls Trump the most visionary politician of his era, someone who has fundamentally altered public perception of what a president can do. > visionary politician ## Trump's absence of shame Coates says Trump has no shame, bending American institutions like universities and law firms to his will without fear of consequences. > he just has none of that ## Trump's power in action Trump has taken over the Oval Office, profited $4 billion, and used secret police and deportations without legal repercussions. > i can do this now there’s nothing to stop me ## Trump's impact on norms Trump has broken American norms, with people who claimed to value institutions now turning against them without defense. > the very people who have benefited from that and who claimed credit for it were some of the first people who turned over ## Kamala Harris's loss Harris lost the 2024 election due to her inability to address Palestinian issues and civil rights leaders in her campaign. > she said in public what numerous people said to me ## DSA momentum The Democratic Socialists of America has growing momentum ahead of midterms, calling for abolition of the presidency and senate. > abolish the presidency abolish the senate ## Zohran Mamdani's role Zohran Mamdani is a key figure in the DSA, with a focus on local governance and community needs. > i don’t think people thought about the mayor’s office like this ## Trump's lasting impact Trump's presidency will leave a lasting mark on American politics, with his influence extending beyond his term. > this one’s going to leave a mark man ## The Uncommitted Movement The Uncommitted Movement demanded a Palestinian American speaker at the DNC, which they failed to achieve. > there had not been an arab american speaker at the dnc since 1988 ## Trump's vision for presidency Trump has shown that the presidency can be reimagined with imagination, not rooted in fear or resentment. > there can be considerable imagination about what that thing actually is ## The need for reflection Coates argues that society needs serious reflection on how to prevent Trump's actions from becoming permanent. > there really really needs to be some serious serious reflection about how you keep this from happening ## The failure of norms American institutions and norms have failed to protect themselves from Trump's influence, leading to a breakdown in accountability. > the caretakers of american democracy failed here ## The DSA's potential The DSA has the potential to reshape American politics by challenging traditional power structures. > i think you’re going to need some of that to close that gap ## The Uncommitted Movement's impact The Uncommitted Movement energized normie Democrats who had never heard of them, leading to increased curiosity and engagement. > they would come up to these guys they wanted to know what was going on ## The future of American democracy American democracy needs to rebuild norms and institutions to prevent future crises like Trump's presidency. > we need to ask ourselves why we did not do that ## Key takeaway Ta-Nehisi Coates argues Donald Trump has fundamentally altered American power structures and norms, while the Democratic Socialists of America gains momentum ahead of midterms.