Since June 16, 2015, the day that Donald Trump descended an escalator in Trump Tower and announced his run for the presidency, the American body politic has struggled to figure out how to treat him, his rhetoric, and the threat he poses to our system of government. A similar pattern plays out repeatedly:

• Trump makes a seemingly outlandish promise that upends conventional understandings of politics.
• Then, those who help Americans make sense of current events — the media, other politicians, pundits, and influencers — dismiss, distort, or deny the very promise Trump has made.
• And few then know quite what to make of it all or how to respond — a state of confusion that has enabled Trump to shatter democratic norms in previously inconceivable ways.

Honest news. Smart analysis. Good faith.

You may have noticed that sh*t has gotten weird the last few years.

Fox News hosting a White Power Hour. Twitter turning into Pepe Town Alt-Light X. An entire political movement obsessed with drag queens and bathrooms. Pandemics, insurrections, and a Bad Orange Man.

At the heart of all this weirdness is a reconsideration of liberalism and democracy that started in Europe and has migrated to America.

The Bulwark was founded to provide analysis and reporting in defense of America’s liberal democracy.

That’s it. That’s the mission.