What ‘Hyperpolitics’ Explains About This Era

Ezra Klein speaks with historian Anton Jäger about "hyperpolitics," the term from Jäger's book "Hyperpolitics: Extreme Politicization Without Political Consequences." Jäger argues that the last decade's political volatility — movements like Trumpism and wokeness saturating the culture and then evaporating or generating backlash — is best understood as extreme engagement disconnected from durable institutions. Even with high voter turnout and mass protests, institutional trust is low and institutional relationships have decayed. The conversation examines how this condition emerged and what it would take to create lasting political change.