ONLINE ‘Trump’s Second Act’: Power, Resistance, and the Limits of Governance

The 2024 presidential election has ushered in a political landscape that may shape the nation’s trajectory for years. Donald Trump’s return to the White House raises urgent questions about the future of democracy, governance, and institutional resilience in the United States. How will power be wielded? What are the implications for policy, social cohesion, and global stability?

To make sense of these questions, I am honored to be joined in the next webinar in SSF’s Trump 2.0 Deregulatory Agenda series by one of the most respected voices in sustainability, energy, and societal resilience – Richard Heinberg. Richard Heinberg is a Senior Fellow of Post Carbon Institute and the author of many award-winning books on energy and the environment, including Power: Limits and Prospects for Human Survival, The End of Growth: Adapting to Our New Economic Reality, and, with David Fridley, Our Renewable Future.

His 2021 book serves as a foundational lens for this webinar. Few thinkers have done more to demystify the systemic forces shaping our world—from fossil fuel dependency to economic instability, climate change, and societal collapse. Richard’s work is distinguished by rigorous analysis and his ability to connect history, psychology, and science to make complex global challenges understandable and actionable. Rather than engaging in polarization or partisanship, Richard urges us to step back and look at history, human behavior, and power dynamics with clarity and purpose.

The webinar is about understanding power: how it is accumulated, wielded, and either constrained or abused. Most importantly, it will discuss how we—individuals and institutions—can respond to strengthen democracy, foster resilience, and avoid the pitfalls of authoritarianism.