A Faustian Bargain and Morality Crisis
How did Donald Trump win the 2024 election despite having a historic criminal and morally transgressive record ?
Criminologist Dr. Terry C. Cox exposes the psychological ‘Faustian bargain’ where voters traded America’s democratic integrity for political power.
How did a candidate with a historic record of criminal convictions, civil liabilities, and moral transgressions secure the most powerful office in the world?
In The Election of President Donald J. Trump: A Faustian Bargain and Morality Crisis, Dr. Terry C. Cox-a former police officer and Emeritus Professor of Criminology with nearly fifty years of experience-delivers a rigorous and unflinching examination of the American political landscape following the 2024 election.
Moving beyond partisan talking points, Dr. Cox applies the lens of criminal justice, behavioral science, and social cognitive theory to dissect a profound national paradox. How do voters reconcile their own personal moral frameworks with their support for a leader whose documented history includes felony convictions, allegations of sexual assault, and associations with notorious figures like Jeffrey Epstein?
Through the framework of Albert Bandura’s Moral Disengagement Theory, Dr. Cox explains how psychological mechanisms such as euphemistic labeling, denial, and the displacement of blame allow ordinary citizens and political enablers to excuse the inexcusable.
Inside, you will explore:
The Criminological Perspective: An expert breakdown of elite and white-collar crime, demonstrating how the justice system frequently fails to hold powerful figures accountable.
The Mechanisms of Disengagement: How propaganda, misinformation, and cognitive dissonance are used to normalize behaviors that would immediately disqualify an individual from any other public service role.
The “Perfect Storm”: An analysis of the converging forces-including Christian nationalism, neoliberal economic failures, and systemic bigotry-that created a vulnerable electorate.
The Consequences of the Bargain: A stark look at the real-world victims of this political compromise, from the erosion of women’s healthcare and public education to the dismantling of democratic institutions.
Rooted in a lifetime of public service and academic rigor, A Faustian Bargain and Morality Crisis is not merely a critique of one man, but a profound inquiry into the soul of a nation. It is a clarion call for a return to empathy, truth, and human decency in the face of creeping autocracy.
If you are seeking a factual, theory-driven explanation for the current state of American politics, this book provides the critical context you need.