“The party of hate, evil, and Satan,” President Donald Trump said, referring to the Democratic Party in a 3:37 a.m. Truth Social post. This was followed by a response three days later from Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee in the 2024 election: “… in fact, these motherf—-rs are crazy.” Political polarization is nothing new, but in recent years it has skyrocketed. This is only one example of America’s ongoing party war, but one thing is evident: America is fighting a losing battle against democracy.
The U.S. faces an increasingly divided political system, with negative perceptions of the opposing party rising by nearly 20% from 1994–2014, according to Pew Research Center. Given the existence of this trend, it is likely that we will continue to be polarized and reach new, formidable, and disappointing heights.
Our leaders aren’t good examples of cooperative government either. Harris spoke at the Leading Women Defined Summit about Trump’s administration, saying this is what “we knew would happen,” instead of providing feedback and support to people struggling. Likewise, Trump has consistently made comments about Harris being a “communist dictator.” If our government is being run by petty politicians, nothing will get done until they stop with their online disputes.
It doesn’t have to be this way. For instance, presidential debates have not always been so aggressively disappointing. In the 2012 presidential debate, there was tension between Mitt Romney and Barack Obama because of their stark disagreements in policies, yet, they still managed to be respectful, Romney even congratulating Obama on his anniversary. This contrasted the last presidential debate in 2024, where Harris and Trump argued about whether pets are being eaten in Springfield, Ohio, and if Harris is really African-American, creating a muddle of aggression and angst. It’s clear we need to make a significant change to reverse this dramatic loss of character and rapid polarization. Regardless of where people’s political values stand, at this point, they won’t even have a chance to share or practice them.
Politicians: do your job, stop bickering online, and help rebuild the country you broke.
