Critique of Benjamin and Simon's Claim That 9/11 Response Led to Trump 'Authoritarianism'
Source: https://www.facebook.com/americanspectator/. "Transforming 9/11 Into Trump Derangement Syndrome | The American Spectator | USA News and Politics." September 12, 2026. spectator.org
The Gist
The author argues that two former Clinton/Obama officials are wrongly blaming Trump for 'destroying democracy' when their real motive is deflecting from their own failed anti-terrorism policies. He claims this is just another example of Trump Derangement Syndrome infecting even 9/11 remembrance, turning a day about terrorism victims into another attack on Trump.
Conclusion
The argument by former Clinton/Obama officials Daniel Benjamin and Steven Simon—that the post-9/11 war on terror caused an 'unraveling of American democracy' via Trump's 'authoritarianism'—is itself an example of Trump Derangement Syndrome and reflects their own failed policies rather than a legitimate critique of Trump.
Premises
- Benjamin and Simon served in administrations (Clinton and Obama) that responded ineffectually or apologetically to the growing threat of Islamic terrorism, contributing to the very dangers Trump later confronted.
- Benjamin and Simon downplay the scale of the Islamic terrorist threat, treating it as a narrow extremist phenomenon rather than part of a broader civilizational conflict.
- The authors' evidence for Trump's supposed 'war on democracy' (travel ban, Antifa designation, National Guard deployments, immigration crackdowns, drug trafficker strikes) actually represents legitimate efforts to address real domestic and security threats.
- The left selectively criticizes expansions of executive power, praising it when used for liberal purposes but condemning it when used by conservatives or Trump.
- By blaming Trump for 'radicalizing' the population and creating authoritarianism, the authors deflect responsibility for the foreign policy failures they themselves helped create.
- Reframing 9/11 commemorations around criticism of Trump rather than the terrorist attack itself trivializes the actual tragedy and its victims.
Assumptions
- Trump's post-9/11-related domestic policies (travel ban, immigration enforcement, military deployments) are justified responses to genuine threats rather than authoritarian overreach.
- Critics of Trump who invoke authoritarianism concerns are primarily motivated by ideological bias ('Trump Derangement Syndrome') rather than genuine constitutional or civil liberties concerns.
- The 'clash of civilizations' framing accurately describes the nature of the Islamic terrorist threat.
- Executive power exercised by Trump is inherently more legitimate or necessary than similar power exercised by Democratic administrations.
- Personal or institutional culpability for past policy failures invalidates the substantive claims made by Benjamin and Simon, regardless of the claims' independent merit.