Donald Trump has had a meaningful impact on the Republican Party. Due to the unprecedented nature of Trump’s presidency, it is necessary to look back on Trump’s past and see what got him there in the first place, in order to be aware of how populist leaders gain popularity. As easy as it would be to write off Trump’s rise to fame as a result of economically frustrated workers who wanted an outsider politician, much of Trump’s rise can be attributed to his racist rhetoric. Historically, Trump ran without experience and based most of his main points on rhetoric, rather than policy. Even his main policy going into the 2017 presidential election, the proposed Mexican border wall, served as a dog whistle to keeping America pure, a line of thought that has perpetuated and grown since his arrival to the presidency.
Trump has shifted the Republican Party away from its roots in individualism, liberty, and tradition by supporting candidates that go against traditional conservative virtues. Trump enacted more gun control and tariffs than most democratic presidents, despite running on the idea of low intervention. However, his approval rating dropped below 85 percent among the Republican Party, who’s official platform stands against those same policies. The clear radicalization of the right that is occurring within the American Republican Party while the rest of the developed world moves left creates a unique problem in the United States. It is evident that the Republican Party defends and cohorts with openly-fascist news sources and groups, which work against democracy and the wellbeing of America’s citizens. For instance, the party enables supporters of QAnon, a right wing conspiracy theory group, which claims that the DNC is a front for satanic baby-eating vampires, and that Jewish liberals control the media. Georgian Congressional Representative Marjorie Green, a Republican, has spoken in favor of QAnon, and stated that the Calofirornia wildfires were a product of a “Jewish space laser”. After Greene’s win in the 14th Georgian district, Trump praised her, and stated that she is “strong on everything”. 24 congresspeople running in 2020 believed in QAnon, and actively defended it.
Laura Loomer, 2020 congressional candidate, who Trump has highly praised and describes herself as a “proud Islamophobe” tweeted that “someone needs to create a non Islamic form of Uber or Lyft because I never want to support another Islamic immigrant driver.” Having legislators who believe in conspiracy theories and fundamentally racist ideas is a direct threat to the wellbeing of American citizens. While it is important to be able to compromise with different political ideologies, compromising with openly racist people becomes a question of ethics; it determines how much racism they can incorporate into law.
Trump has evidently played a role in the radicalization of the American right-wing, and has given a platform to open racists. It’s indicative of American political parties ethics when the widely-considered most radical left-leaning lawmakers (Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren) most radical ideas are healthcare for all and guaranteed housing, while the most far right politicians include conspiracy theories and establishing American dominance. Many of the moral disparities between the two parties can be attributed to Trump’s approval of the radical right. The future of the Republican party is unclear due to the prominent figures and ideals currently rising within it, which go against all traditional conservative values.
By Federico Opertti
