History taster session: King of the United States? Monarchy and the American Republic

In early 2025, Americans took to the streets under the banner “No Kings”, protesting what they saw as Donald Trump’s royal ambitions. From the moment it broke away from George III, the United States defined itself against monarchy, and as the marchers show, the prospect that the White House might turn into a palace still sparks outrage. But look more closely, and American history tells a more complicated story. Beneath the republican surface, royalist dreams as well as fears have always been there.

Drawing on our teaching about Trumpism's historical roots and our current research into an alleged plot to crown an emperor in Washington after the Civil War, this talk explores how kingship - supposedly the most “un-American” of ideas - has shaped the United States from the era of Alexander Hamilton through to influential contemporary monarchists like Curtis Yarvin.

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