In November, the American people elected Donald Trump as the 47th President of the United States, with his inauguration set for January 20, 2025. Trump secured both the Electoral College and the popular vote, though the latter by a razor-thin margin. At least half of Americans oppose Trump’s worldview and even among his supporters there’s likely unease about what his presidency entails.
Deepening Divides
American society is deeply fractured and the country now faces even greater uncertainty. A dramatic shift to the right has delivered power to a demagogue — a convicted felon and insurrectionist with little regard for democratic institutions. Trump’s presidency represents not just a challenge to these institutions but an active effort to dismantle them. His hard-right, authoritarian vision appeals to a base that craves disruption of the political status quo, regardless of the consequences.
For Trump, personal vendettas loom large. He has vowed revenge against those who held him accountable in court and will target opponents with an unrelenting zeal. His aim is to upend the political system, both domestically and internationally, because he and his supporters see it as broken beyond repair. Trump’s appeal lies in his image as a “strongman,” though his motives remain fundamentally self-serving: protecting his wealth, power and legacy.
Yet the people who elected him see this disruption as the solution to their frustrations. While Trump’s rhetoric claims to champion the disenfranchised, his policies are likely to benefit the wealthy elite, offering little relief for struggling Americans. Rather than healing divisions, Trump’s leadership will deepen societal fractures, pitting groups against each other while providing no meaningful answers to the country’s challenges. The disillusioned have placed their trust in a false ally.
The Crisis of Democracy
Trump’s election is not an anomaly but a symptom of a much deeper malaise in American democracy. Many of his voters likely recognized his flaws but chose him as a radical alternative, rejecting what they saw as the failures of the Democratic Party. President Biden’s unpopularity, driven by perceptions of economic mismanagement and rising costs of living, made voters desperate for change. For these Americans, the Democratic establishment symbolizes a system that is unresponsive, if not outright hostile, to their struggles.
Trump’s victory underscores a decades-long erosion of trust in democratic institutions. While Trump himself has exacerbated this distrust, he did not create it.
Its roots lie in a system that has failed to deliver for working people, leaving them disillusioned and open to extreme solutions. His election is part of a broader political trend — one that has seen the rise of the hard-right, not only in the U.S. but across the globe.
As Daniel Ziblatt and Steven Levitsky argue in their book Tyranny of the Minority, the American experiment in multiracial democracy faces immense challenges. Building a society where all groups enjoy full participation is a noble goal, but it has provoked an authoritarian backlash — first in 2016 and again now. The vaunted system of checks and balances no longer functions effectively.
The U.S. Constitution, while a remarkable achievement for its time, was designed for a white, agrarian settler society in constant expansion. It struggles to accommodate the complexities of a modern, fast-paced, multiracial capitalist society marked by competing interests. Political reform seems unattainable, given the structural barriers, including the near-impossibility of securing the two-thirds majority in Congress required to amend the U.S. Constitution.
A Fractured Public Square
Exacerbating these issues is a fragmented public debate marked by distrust, disinformation and conspiracy theories. Social media platforms amplify these divides, poisoning public discourse, rewarding extremism, and stifling compromise. Since Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter (now X), the platform has devolved into a hub of hate, racism, misogyny and misinformation. Musk and other tech billionaires have played a pivotal role in shaping public sentiment, not just through financial support for Trump, but by manipulating the flow of information.
As oligarchs gain greater influence in American politics, corruption, grift and conflicts of interest are becoming normalized. The overwhelming power of these elites and their ability to bend the rules to their own benefit represents a direct threat to fair, transparent democratic competition.
What Lies Ahead
Trump and his allies feel emboldened by their victory. Their agenda will be marked by bullying and division — both domestically and internationally. The political West should brace for an unreliable and transactional U.S. partner, one that prioritizes unilateral actions over multilateral cooperation. Trump’s approach to global affairs will likely mirror his chaotic response to the COVID-19 pandemic: erratic, short-sighted and incapable of addressing systemic challenges.
This new era will bring not just disruption but chaos. For Europe and its allies, the imperative is clear: unity and resilience.
The European Union must stand firm against authoritarian tendencies while finding opportunities to engage constructively with like-minded American partners.
American federalism offers promising avenues for cooperation, even amid national-level turmoil.
Trump’s presidency signals not just a political shift but a deeper reckoning with the failures of American democracy. His rise is a stark reminder of the need to address the structural inequities and disillusionment that drive people toward radical choices. While this moment is fraught with peril, it also underscores the urgency of reform — both in the U.S. and beyond.
Knut Dethlefsen is the Director of the Competence Center for the Future of Work at the Friedrich Ebert Foundation. He is a seasoned expert in international politics, political communications, and policy development. With extensive experience spanning several continents, he has a deep understanding of geopolitical dynamics, conflict resolution, and transnational cooperation.
The views and opinions expressed in the Solutions Spaces blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the Global Solutions Initiative.
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