"Both candidates prospered by milking their followers' sense of powerlessness. But there's even more Wallace-begat-Trump wisdom to directly glean from Carlson’s scholarship. Wallace was, Carlson writes, 'a master at knowing how to feel out and exploit discontent.' Wallace, like Trump, delighted in the presence of hecklers at his campaign events because he was skilled in turning the crowd against them. Like Trump, he excelled at exploiting the media, famously standing in front of the schoolhouse door, barring integration at the University of Alabama in the summer of 1963 and giving a five-minute speech for the TV cameras. Hours later, Wallace submitted to presidential orders, but what his followers remembered was his defiance. When Trump refuses to apologize for his bad manners, correct his plentiful mistakes, or bow down to anybody, he's echoing Wallace. When Trump sends up his opposition with a jab or joke, he adds a wink or knowing nod, just as Wallace did."
Jack Shafer at Politico compares Donald Trump to George Wallace.
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