Security Talk The Divided States of America

What remains clear is that, the impact of Trump’s presidency will be felt for generations to come. With almost half of the nation voting for him in this election, it is unlikely that Trump’s ideology would disappear in the American political ecology anytime soon. It is probably here forever.

Joe Biden and the Democrats may have won, but what remains of the once United States of America, is a bitterly divided and broken nation. The once sole superpower, has come to be the ‘ Sick man of the Atlantic.’ The once assumed moral high ground has come to an abrupt and crushing end. As I pen this, ‘ outgoing’ President Trump and his Republican Party are yet to concede to Biden. I bet if this was happening in another country, the US would be already mobilising its massive military power, ready to attack and ‘ restore democracy.’ What remains clear is that, the impact of Trump’s presidency will be felt for generations to come. With almost half of the nation voting for him in this election, it is unlikely that Trump’s ideology would disappear in the American political ecology anytime soon. It is probably here forever. The Trump politics, while often framed as initiatives from far- right, extends well beyond the right- wing sections of the Republican Party. The neo- fascist and racist animus that currently divides the US extends beyond the ‘ base’ and helps explain why the white middle class voted for Trump. Throughout his nearly four- year norm- smashing presidency Trump has stirred strong emotions among both supporters and opponents. Many of his backers admire his moves to overhaul immigration, his appointment of conservative judges, his willingness to throw convention to the wind and his harsh rhetoric, which they call straight talk.

Democrats and other critics see the former real estate developer and reality show personality as a threat to American democracy, a serial liar and a racist who mismanaged the novel coronavirus pandemic that has killed more people in the US than anywhere else. Trump dismisses those characterizations as “fake news.” If there’s one thing that Trump understands, it’s how to benefit politically from manufacturing fear and division. Trump provokes anxiety in both the right and the left perhaps equally, albeit in very different ways. For the right, he fuels their fears about minorities and dissimilar others, calling Hispanic immigrants “murderers and rapists,” and stating in blanket- fashion that “Islam hates us.” His demonisation of the “liberal media” and the Obama administration has transformed many right- wingers into full- fledged conspiracy theorists. For the left, Trump is the fear. His narcissistic personality and unpredictable, unrestrained behaviour make him a dangerous Commander- in- Chief. Trump’s policies and willingness to please his most extreme supporters threatens the stability of the US. The only thing liberals might fear worse than Trump himself, is the sentiment he brings out in his supporters, which has already proved deadly in numerous cases. As a result of the amplified fear and anxiety on the right and the left, the nation is more polarized than ever, and tensions seem to be at an all- time high.

The perceived threat posed by Trump and his supporters has shifted many liberals towards more extreme positions than would be normally expected. In accordance with this concept, America has seen the rise of the militant left- wing group known as Antifa, whose tactics have progressively grown more violent towards the alt- right and neo- Nazis in a number of recent real- world confrontations. Liberals who fear the nationalist surge the nation is witnessing become less tolerant of those they see as supporting Trump and his views towards immigrants, and more sympathetic towards the violent antics of Antifa because they are seen as well- intentioned, despite the fact that violence will ultimately be counterproductive to the liberal cause. Additionally, due to the worldview bolstering effects of existential fear and anxiety, liberals who feel threatened ideologically will tend to enforce their left- wing norms more than usual. So far, there seems to be no room for rational discourse in the US politics. Across the political spectrum, division seems to be the only ‘ rational’ choice. Trump has left the US between a rock and hard place.