Today’s Politics Divide Parties, and Friends and Families, Too
In the course of a presidential campaign, we often learn a surprising amount about our leaders. But the latest presidential campaign will be a particularly revelatory one—and a test for any leader—if he or she shows up at the polls.
Donald Trump has been the subject of one of the most bizarre presidential campaign narratives in history, and he seems determined to prove it. With all eyes turned to him, he is about to go up against Elizabeth Warren, a liberal icon, who has been leading the effort to impeach him, and Joe Biden, who once had to fight to keep Elizabeth Warren out of his debate.
And then there’s Bernie Sanders, who is running a vigorous campaign against Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden in Michigan and other states.
As we get nearer to the Democratic National Convention in July, we will learn how these two men are faring against Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, the two candidates whom both of them hope to confront in November.
Trump is an unusual political figure and is the most polarizing presidential candidate in history. But he is not really a typical populist. To the contrary, he has become the most powerful man in America.
Trump will undoubtedly be an unpopular president, even by the standards of recent American presidents’ unpopularity. If he is not indicted in the coming year, he will soon be a lame duck. The way he has used the powers of his office against his political opponents, and by doing so, made them so unpopular that he should be impeached or removed from office, would be unprecedented.
But Trump is not an authoritarian politician, and he is not a racist or a misogynist. He is a rich man who is doing well in business and who wants to live in the world he is creating. That is why he has surrounded himself with people who do not have his background or interests.
Trump will certainly be unpopular. But he has a unique and dangerous presidency.
There is no question that the Trump administration has done some of the worst things imaginable. But let’s be