American Caesar
How Theocrats and Tech Lords Are Turning America into a Monarchy

Quotes

"Onishi argues that conservative Protestants and Catholics, along with technology leaders, share interests in promoting a strong authoritarian figure to lead the United States...A fascinating analysis of key philosophies on the American right."
—Library Journal

"From church pews to Silicon Valley, Bradley Onishi takes the reader on an essential journey through the seemingly disparate threads of the radical right, a movement exploiting its vast financial and information resources to manipulate Americans into believing their freedoms would be better served by a monarch than by the American experiment that explicitly rejected one. With vivid portraits of a terrifying and downright weird cast of characters, American Caesar deftly unpacks a extremist insurgency taking aim at the heart of American democracy."
—Sarah Posner, author of Unholy: How White Christian Nationalists Powered the Trump Presidency and the Devastating Legacy They Left Behind

"Bradley Onishi’s American Caesar is a timely and piercing interrogation of the nationalist leveraging of Christian identity to betray the foundations of the American experiment, dismantle the bulwarks of liberal democracy, and establish a new American monarchy in its place. Onishi explains not just the history of the movement and the thirst for power that fuels the movement, but also the anxieties that facilitate its evangelism and the perspectives that will be critical to thwarting its goals and restoring American liberties. This will be a critical volley in our constitutional republic’s struggle for survival."
—Dan McClellan, New York Times bestselling author of The Bible Says So

"Essential reading for anyone who does not yet appreciate the threat of extreme Christian nationalism—and just as vital for those who already do. Because Dr. Bradley Onishi is more than a brilliant theologian: his religious fluency, political insights, and cogent writing allow him to unpack the complexity of this grave threat—its theological roots, political ambitions, and cultural reach—with clarity and force."
—Congressman Jared Huffman (Co-Founder, Congressional Freethought Caucus)

“Every lover of American democracy must read this book to understand the threat our nation faces. We overthrew our king 250 years ago, but Onishi exposes how Big Tech and Christian Nationalism are uniting to bring a monarchy back and unravel American democracy. Brilliant, timely, and terrifying.”
—Andrew L. Seidel author of The Founding Myth and American Crusade

"Bradley Onishi has issued an alarming and urgent warning for the future of democracy. American Caesar reveals how a movement of white Christian nationalists, Silicon Valley plutocrats, postliberal philosophers, and reactionary monarchist theologians are hiding in plain sight with a carefully orchestrated plan to disassemble democratic freedoms in favor of a theocratic state ruled by a Christian prince. With the skills of a public intellectual and a fearless investigator, Onishi traces the theological, political and cultural undercurrents that converge in the call for a modern Caesar who would return us to a dark, medieval past where strong men ruled like veritable Leviathans. With the credibility of an insider, Onishi names the imminent danger and calls concerned citizens to account. This is required reading for anyone who believes freedom and justice are incompatible with authoritarian rule and theocratic visions for the future of America and the world."
—Walter Earl Fluker, Martin Luther King, Jr. Professor Emeritus of Ethical Leadership, Boston University