Trump’s Flame Is Still Burning*

The division in the U.S. and the tension between two supposed sides is such that there is a proliferation of books speculating about civil war.

It’s what they say about love. Where there was once fire, ashes remain. You can say the same thing about the United States, given the violent polarization under Donald Trump’s presidency that now threatens to return in the wake of the former president’s scandals and his attempt at reelection in 2024.

“I certainly hope [my presidency] works out. If it doesn’t I’m not sure we’re going to have a country.” This apocalyptic message didn’t come from an analyst looking for attention, but was attributed to Joe Biden in a recent book by New York Times reporters Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns.

The country is reluctant to turn the page, and one can hardly overstate the risk. Trump is the only president to face impeachment twice and has sympathized with — perhaps also organized — an attempted coup against one of the oldest democracies in the world. It would be too risky to leave the country in his hands again, but his umpteenth legal scandal is once more casting a shadow over his possible reelection in 2024.

Several days ago, the FBI searched the former president’s resort in Florida, seizing classified documents that Trump allegedly took illegally when he left office. The Washington Post reported that some of these documents contained sensitive material concerning nuclear weapons.

According to a poll by Politico, 49% of respondents believe the investigation is related to possible criminal activity by Trump, while 38% believe the investigation is politically motivated. Republicans accuse Attorney General Merrick Garland of trying to hurt Trump’s chances at reelection.

One can hear the checks and balances of the democratic system cracking. In theory, the Republican Party should ward off Trump and his lies and conspiracy theories because they pose a threat to the system. However, in practice, a governing party, once a majority party, has been caught up in a spiral of radicalization. Although it may seem incredible, a majority of Republican supporters still believe the election was stolen.

The division in the U.S. and the tension between two supposed sides is such that there is a proliferation of books speculating about civil war. The axes of identity and race that separate ordinary Republicans and Democrats appear to be unresolvable. The first group is predominantly white and lives in rural areas, while the latter group is multi-ethnic and lives in large urban areas.

More than one-third of Republicans and Democrats believe that violence is justified to achieve political objectives, compared to fewer than one-tenth of the people who answered the question about violence in 2017, the year Trump took office. Weapons in the house and a spiral of political hatred is an excessively toxic combination. Biden knows the dangers. The country needs him to succeed.

*Editor’s Note: This article is available in its original language with a paid subscription.