Eyes right! Asymmetric polarization and the threat to American democracy

Over the last decade, American political scientists have given increasing attention to the issue of polarization. But among the many books and articles on this phenomenon, until recently, few writers assessed the relative contribution of each of the two main parties to the polarized state of American politics or to the conflicts that polarization brought about. These gaps became more glaring after the second election of President Donald J. Trump in 2024, when his MAGA movement entered the Republican Party and a powerful resistance movement grew up against it. This article focuses on the radicalization of the Republican Party, its merger with Trump’s MAGA movement, and the growing resistance against them. The article closes with a discussion of the threat of Trumpism to American democracy.