In this in-depth review of Zack Beauchamp's The Reactionary Spirit: How America’s Most Insidious Political Tradition Swept the World (PublicAffairs, 2024), Nick Warmuth explores how a distinctly American reactionary tradition now threatens democracies worldwide. From Trump to Orbán, Netanyahu to Modi, Beauchamp shows how elected leaders hollow out liberal democracy under the guise of saving it. Warmuth argues that realising how this “reactionary spirit” has been coopted is crucial to understanding how to overcome their ultimate intentions.