Baron Protection in Politics

When progressive institutions fail to protect a minority, that group may seek cover from a powerful outsider at a reputational price. Halevi analogizes Jewish students turning to Trump as a medieval 'baron' who can shield them from the mob. — It offers a model for how protection‑seeking can realign coalitions and stigmatize beneficiaries, shaping 2024–2028 electoral behavior and campus governance.

Sources

The End of the Post-Holocaust Era

Arnold Kling 2025.08.18 100% relevant

Quote: 'American Jewish students were abandoned... and so Trump comes along... there’s always a price to pay for the protection of the baron.'

The Joy Of Submission

Robin Hanson 2025.08.15 65% relevant

Hanson’s claim that people derive deep satisfaction from submitting to a powerful, protective higher‑status partner (monotheistic God) maps to the political impulse to seek protection from a dominant 'baron' despite reputational costs; both posit a protective‑submission mechanism behind strong loyalty.