The Democratic Party After Trump

Beyond Your News Feed: Understanding Contemporary Politics

Donald Trump’s defeat in last November’s election spawned an eruption of press analyzes about the impact of the defeat on the Republican Party. Pundits have opined endlessly on questions like: What will be the long-term impact of the Trump presidency on the Party? Has Trump completely taken over the Party or will his influence fade with time? Can the Republican Party bring back the moderate voters who fled because of Trump? Will “Never Trumpers” reconcile with the party or desert to the Democrats? How will the Party cope with conflicts between the “business” and the “populist” wings of the parties?

While Beyond Your News Feed thinks these are good and interesting questions, because we go beyond the dominant press narratives and look at a different question than the one that seems to pre-occupy the main stream press: What has been and will be the impact of the Trump presidency on the Democratic Party? Although not as much attention has been paid to this question than those about the Republican Party, it deserves a careful look. The Trump presidency was both a consequence of and a catalyst for long term shifts in the coalitions of both political parties. Trump’s impact has been and will be felt within the Democratic Party as much of the Republican.

Professors Matt Guardino and Adam Myers of the PC political science department join host William Hudson to examine how the Democratic Party has changed in the era of Trump

Articles referred to in conversation:

Matt Karp. “The Politics of a Second Gilded Age”

https://www.jacobinmag.com/2021/02/the-politics-of-a-second-gilded-age

Dustin Guastella. “Everyone Hates the Democrats”

https://jacobinmag.com/2021/02/everyone-hates-the-democrats