Political polarization has surged in the United States in recent years as people increasingly view the opposing party’s supporters as hostile or dangerous rather than legitimate rivals.
In an article for The New York Times published Sunday, columnist David French argued that a recent scandal involving young Republican operatives is symptomatic of a deeper deterioration in American politics.
He recounted how a private group‑chat among young Republican staffers and activists contained shockingly vile language — referring to Black people as “monkeys” and “watermelon people,” fantasizing about putting political opponents in gas chambers or driving them to suicide. He noted that while the Young Republicans National Federation issued condemnations and some participants lost jobs, others, including Vice‑President J.D. Vance, rallied in defence of the participants.
French also mentioned the Democratic politician Jay Jones, the Virginia attorney‑general nominee who sent text messages wishing death on a Republican colleague, and observed that many on his side excused or minimized his actions because his election was deemed vital. He further contended that President Donald Trump’s success despite cruelty, dishonesty and illiberalism normalized such behaviours within his party.
"There’s a larger story here. When you combine all the elements — yet another Republican racism scandal, death wishes from a Democratic politician, Vance’s decision to excuse the inexcusable — you can see the ways in which 10 years of Trumpism has twisted the American soul," he wrote.
French argued that when the highest‑profile politician of an era embodies moral bankruptcy, the party aligned with him becomes structurally predisposed to reward those same vices. That dynamic, he wrote, pushes decent people out and pulls in those who mirror the dominant ethos. He warns that as radicals become mainstream and the previous mainstream drifts to the fringe, the stakes of politics escalate until victory becomes the only moral aim — accepting almost any lesser evil to avoid defeat.
"The result is a push-pull dynamic that pushes people of good character out of the party and pulls in new leaders and new people who share the leader’s ethos. Every year, this cultural trend reinforces itself. Decency becomes rarer, and decent people feel more isolated," he wrote.
"By the time Trump leaves office in 2029, he will have been the dominant American political figure for roughly 14 years — since the weeks after he announced his first run for president and surged to the top of Republican primary polls," French warned.