America's Civil War Confederacy never really went away and it just put Trump in White House

American politics is broken. To understand why, it is worth examining the political, cultural, social, constitutional, religious and racial make-up of a restless country that is now in danger of turning its back on democracy and embracing populism and, ultimately, authoritarianism.

This is about Trump and how such a soulless and limited human being could win electoral success. But he is not acting alone. After rigging the court system, first-time round, and destroying the Supreme Court as a credible institution of justice, he is now set to put oligarchs like Elon Musk in place. Welcome to populism!

Anti-politics candidate

Of more fundamental concern is why tens of millions Americans could have been enticed to vote for such a person and his authoritarian vision. Progressive parties, here and in Europe, must learn lessons and avoid complacency amid a global assault on democracy.

As the anti-politics candidate, Trump offered a message that resonated with US voters. Understanding American politics is key to making sense of Trump’s success, particularly its deep cultural divides and a widespread dislike of authority.

Long pre-dating Trump, a powerful set of myths – based on American exceptionalism, delusion and nostalgia – have been nurtured throughout the centuries, even from the founding of the country in 1776. These now serve no useful purpose other than as a soothing balm for a troubled, insecure, intolerant and politically unstable country.

No melting pot, no American dream

There is no “shining city” on the hill “where a beacon light guides freedom-loving people everywhere”, as suggested by Ronald Reagan. There is no “melting pot”, as racism in America deepens. There is no longer a “Statue of Liberty” welcoming migrants from every part of the world, in a country that tolerates hate and fear on colour and race.

There is no “American Dream” for those suffering from deep-seated poverty, inequality and injustice, amongst the worst in the Developed World. There is no “land of the free and home of the brave” as Republican states ban children’s books, ban abortion and create a dystopian vision of women staying at home in the image of Margaret Attwood’s novel The Handmaid’s Tale.

Trump voters, however, believe in that past, real or imaginary, and this, along with a focus on crime, illegal migration and inflation, proved important for his victory.

Above all else, there’s no escaping the failure of America to deal with race which, linked to immigration, has become the poisonous focus of populism. Many of the Founding Fathers were slave owners. Abraham Lincoln provided the emancipation of slaves but not equality. The Jim Crow and Reconstruction Era allowed for nearly 2,000 lynchings. President Lyndon Johnson provided civil rights but lost the southern states to the Republican party in the process. Now these states are effectively preventing Black people from voting. Racism still scars America.

Loss of confidence in institutions

In a 2020 New Yorker article, headlined “Is America headed for a new kind of civil war”, Robin Wright wrote of “an entrenched national polarisation with no obvious meeting place for a resolution of differences” and “an abandonment of leadership”, best illustrated by Trump’s desire to play to his base, not the country.

Many Americans have lost confidence in their institutions. There is now no unity of purpose in a country that is still a global colossus in military, trade, foreign aid, technology and foreign affairs, but is hurting from the within, with no obvious way to heal.

The US Constitution is a straitjacket, impossible to change, outdated, and responsible for the archaic electoral college, farcical levels of gun ownership and the abuse of free speech. Christianity is being used to promote white nationalism, seeking superiority in order to marginalise other faiths and influence policies such as abortion.

Confederacy remains a force

Congress, losing touch with voters, is paralysed, polarised and ineffective, and is now reduced to a party political circus indulging in endless partisan feuds. Americans have lost faith in this dysfunctional legislature, which helps give credence to the states as a more acceptable form of government. Under the first Trump presidency, courts were politicised. The Supreme Court became the policymaking arm of Maga Republicanism, with any sense of being fair and impartial disappearing.

What is fascinating is how the ghost of the civil war still haunts America. In a Chatham House publication in February, Bruce Stokes outlined research showing how Confederate states in the 1860s were now prominent in promoting the extremes of Trump’s populism and posing a threat to the legitimacy of Washington. On issues of abortion, voter suppression and gun laws, the former Confederacy has adopted the most extreme positions.

Of the 23 states that crafted restrictive legislation in 2023 – on gender affirmation care, transgender participation in school sports, and school constraints on LGBTQ issues – 22 voted for Trump. The Confederacy lives on in all but name and so does its racism and intolerance.

‘Better angels of our nature’

This election has exposed deep political fault-lines in an almost ungovernable country. Searching for meaning and finding the soul of America is a tough ask in a country where trust, truth and unity of purpose have largely disappeared

In his first inaugural speech in 1861, on the eve of the civil war, Abraham Lincoln said: “We are not enemies but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory... will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.”

The tribes have spoken. The electoral mood seems clear. For now, we must wait and see, and hope those ‘better angels’ can prevail.

Henry McLeish, a former First Minister of Scotland, is a visiting professor at the University of South Florida

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