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President Donald Trump, 2017-2021, 2025-present.

The Seventh Party System was a period of American history that began after Donald Trump's victory during the 2016 presidential election. Prior to 2016, in the Sixth Party System, the Democrats and Republicans had generally reached a consensus on support for neoliberalism, and politics was focused mostly on the economy. However, 2016 saw the rise of right-wing populism and open white supremacism on the right wing of politics and the rise of green politics, democratic socialism, and progressivism on the left wing, and these changes were reinforced by the 2018 US Congress elections, during which an increasing number of progressives, women, minorities, and LGBT individuals were elected to Congress in a progressive backlash against the Republican party. Likewise, the Seventh Party System coincided with a global surge in right-wing populism resulting from the rise of identitarianism in Europe, the emergence of the Islamic State, and concerns about illegal immigration in several Western countries. The new era of American politics was marked by heightened polarization unseen since Reconstruction, the rise of fringe movements on both sides, the gradual downfall of the mainstream media due to the rise of social media and both fringes' accusation of the media promoting "fake news," a shift towards identity politics on both sides, and the return of race and religion to the forefront of politics.

History[]

2016 Election[]

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2016 Electoral Map Results

The 2016 election was among the most consequential in American history. The election radically changed the political landscape and led to the sudden collapse of the Sixth Party System. For the Democratic nomination, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, who was considered to be the establishment Democrats favored choice, faced strong opposition from progressive Bernie Sanders. Sanders ran against the political establishment, advocating for progressive policies and taking a stand against big business. As the primary went on, Clinton clinched several wins and eventually won the nomination. Many Sanders supporters felt cheated by the establishment after this, leading some to not vote for Clinton or not at all during the general election. The 2016 Republican primaries featured a divided race with seventeen candidates. Donald Trump soon entered the race as a political outsider. Trump maintained wide poll leads throughout 2015 and into 2016, primarily due to his brash and unapologetic style of speaking and campaigning. Trump emphasized a disregard for political correctness, as well as populist and nativist policies. He earned the support of working-class voters and voters without college educations, among other demographics. Due to his brash style and polarizing policy stances, many in the Republican field sought to become the "anti-Trump" by condemning him. It soon became clear that Trump was going to be the nominee for president and became the presumptive nominee when Texas Senator Ted Cruz suspended his campaign. Clinton focused on several themes, including raising middle-class incomes, expanding women's rights, and instituting campaign finance reform. Trump relied heavily on his personal image, and his slogan, "Make America Great Again," was widely popularized with it imprinted on the red baseball cap worn by his supporters. He used brash rhetoric to corral the establishment, free trade, and foreign intervention. The campaign is one of the most divisive and nasty in history, with both candidates launching personal attacks against each other and their respective supporters. Both candidates were involved in numerous scandals that surfaced during the campaign, including Clinton's practice of using unsecured private email servers during her time as secretary and Trump's comments about different minorities that were deemed hateful by many. On election night, Trump won with 306 electoral votes in perhaps the biggest political upset in American history. Trump did well in former Democratic strongholds in the Rust Belt and in the Sun Belt swing states such as Florida and North Carolina. This major swing of working-class whites with no college degrees to Trump led to the birth of the Seventh Party System.

First Trump Presidency[]

One of Trump's first acts as president was to ban citizens from multiple majority-Muslim countries from entering the United States leading to protests at airports across the country. Trump also signed into law the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act which overhauled the tax code, cutting corporate tax rates from 35% to 21% and providing temporary tax relief for individuals. This boosted economic growth but increased the federal deficit significantly. He also emphaszied deregulation and repealed many Obama-era regulations on energy, the enviroment, and finance. On immigration Trump started to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexican border in an attempt to keep illegal migrants from crossing. While he did build parts of the wall, it was heavily critizised by congress and his oppennents. Trump also implemented a Family Separation Policy which was a controversial enforcement that separated families at the border, later reversed after public backlash. Trump also repeadtedly tried to repeal the ACA with multiple attempts failing in congress. Another one of his signature policies was the renegotiated trade agreements to favor U.S. interests. Trump replaced NAFTA with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) and imposed tariffs on China, sparking a trade war. On foreign policy, Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Agreement and the Iran Nuclear Deal citing that they were unfavorable to America's interests. Other foreign polci achievments include, the Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between Israel and several Arab states. Trump also announced plans to withdraw troops from Syria, Afghanistan, and Iraq, reducing U.S. military engagement overseas fulfilling his "America First" approach. While Trump had a significant impact on policy he also highly impacted American society. His populist appeal psotioned himself as a man of forgotton people which appealed to many working-class and rural voters. He emphasized nationalism, anti-globalism, and skepticism toward elites and the media shaping many perceptions of those issues. In 2019, Trump was impeached on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress over allegations of pressuring Ukraine to investigate political rival Joe Biden. He was later aquited along partisian lines in the senate. Trump's use of social media, especialyl twitter garnered noteworthy attention. He frequently attacked the press labelling them as "fake news" and bombarded his political enemies. This served to deepen the cultural and poltical divide in America, energizing both his supporters and detractors. Faced with the growing Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, Trump frequently gave mixed messages and attacked science behind combatting the virus. He resisted mandates and lockdowns while increasing vaccine research speed which was a great success. The killing of George Floyd in 2020 sparked nationwide protests against police brutality and systemic racism. Trump's response, emphasizing "law and order," drew both praise and criticism. By the end of 2020 his approval rating hovered at around 40% reflecting a deeply polarized electorate.

2020 Election[]

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2020 Electoral Map Results

The 2020 election started with the backdrop of the first Trump impeachment and the rapid spread of the Covid-19 pandemic that upended lives. In the competitive Democratic primary, which saw the most candidates of any major party in American history, Joe Biden won over progressive and moderate candidates alike. Donald Trump was easily renominated by the Republican Party. Due to the lockdowns and mandates of March 2020, all candidates suspended in-person campaigning and campaign rallies due to the virus. The effects of the Covid pandemic were long lines at the polls, a sharp rise in absentee ballot requests, and the rise in mail-in voting. By May, the Trump campaign strongly came out against mail-in voting, claiming it would cause widespread voter fraud, a claim that was proven to be discredited. The government's response to the pandemic became a major issue of the election. Trump frequently held large rallies where the audience was largely devoid of masks. The Biden campaign stuck to virtual meetings and small rallies. Trump attacked Biden's limited public appearances as proof that he is "senile" and frequently called Biden Sleepy Joe and Basement Biden on the campaign trail. As the year went on, the perceived government mismanagement of the pandemic as the virus was killing up to 2,000 Americans a day, Trump's poll ratings suffered. Another crisis also began in the summer of 2020. The killing of George Floyd by police sparked global outrage and protests that descended into riots. Many major urban centers saw rioting and looting as Trump blamed the chaos on the Democrats and Biden attacked Trump for fanning the flames. Another issue was the potential denial of the election results by Trump and his allies. Some comments Trump made were widely picked up by Biden and turned into attacks that Trump is too dangerous.

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Celebrations following Biden's victory

The elections saw 158 million Americans cast their ballots, with around 100 million being before election day or by mail. Biden won with 81 million popular votes and 306 electoral votes. Biden's popular vote is the highest of any candidate in American history. Biden's three gains in the Rust Belt, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, signaled a rebuilding of the blue wall. Biden also won over formerly Republican strongholds in the Sun Belt like Arizona and Georgia. While Biden flipped five states that voted for Trump in 2016, he widened his margins in the swing states of Florida, Iowa, and Ohio, with many commentators saying that they were red states. Trump continued to dominate rural America, but Biden did well in rural areas with a majority non-white population and areas with a high number of residents employed by the tourism industry. Biden also did well with suburban voters who normally voted Republican in droves. This is due to suburban backlash against the chaos in the Trump years. While Biden won the majority of Latino voters, and they were crucial to his win in Nevada and Arizona, Trump made significant inroads with them. Trump also made gains in major urban areas, reflecting his growing support amongst working-class Americans. Biden won over many college-educated voters while Trump won many uneducated voters, a flip from decades ago when the opposite was true. Biden's win spawned much controversy and allegations of voter fraud from Trump and his supporters. Many allies of Trump refused to accept the results of the election despite no major fraud taking place. This culminated in the storming of the U.S. Capitol Building by Trump supporters trying to stop the certification of electoral votes. This in turn led to Trump being impeached a second time.

Biden Presidency[]

Joe Biden's presidency began with unprecedented challenges, including a global pandemic, economic recovery, and entrenched political polarization. He sought to be a unifying president that could heal the divisions of the Trump era. Biden passed many landmark spending acts early on. One of these is the American Rescue Plan Act, which was a $1.9 trillion stimulus package aimed at accelerating vaccine research, stimulus checks for families, and aid to small businesses. It achieved widespread vaccine distribution, with over 200 million doses administered during his first 100 days. It faced challenges with rising vaccine hesitancy and the emergence of new Covid-19 variants. Another major spending bill was the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. This act allocated $1.2 trillion to rebuild roads, bridges, public transit, broadband internet, and clean water systems. This was marked as a major bipartisan victory. The Biden presidency saw strong job growth following the pandemic with record low unemployment rates. Biden focused on supporting unions and raising wages for federal contractors. Biden also advocated for civil rights protections through a series of executive orders, though no major legislation was passed. Biden also became the most LGBTQ+ friendly president. He signed legislation codifying same-sex marriage and marking Pride Month every year. In response to rising gun violence, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act was passed as the first significant gun control legislation in decades. On foreign policy, Biden focused on rebuilding America's relationships with foreign nations, especially Europe. During his term, Russia became more aggressive and invaded Ukraine, with Biden taking on a major role in leading NATO policy toward the war. The administration provided billions in military equipment and aid to Ukraine, which drew criticisms from conservatives as focusing on other nations more than America. Biden oversaw the American withdrawal from Afghanistan, which was chaotic and drew more criticism for his handling of it. Biden continued Trump's high tariff rates on China and signed the CHIPS and Science Act to reduce reliance on Chinese technology. Due to the sharp rise of inflation and the cost of living worldwide, the Biden administration suffered from low approval ratings and criticisms of being ineffective on the issue. In response, Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act, which spent $369 billion on clean energy production and sought to lower prescription drug prices. It was described as a landmark act. While Biden passed many pieces of landmark and wide-ranging legislation, he faced fierce criticisms for his age-related issues (like not remembering the Australian prime minister's name or when he fell asleep at numerous speeches). He also faced criticisms for his perceived weak leadership during crisis times. The Biden years also saw significant, persistent political polarization.

2024 Election[]

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2024 Electoral Map Results

The 2024 presidential election was a turbulent and chaotic one. Initially incumbent president Joe Biden ran for reelection, but after a disastrous debate performance, he dropped out and endorsed incumbent vice president Kamala Harris. Harris ran against former president Donald Trump, who was running for another nonconsecutive term. The Trump campaign was noted for making several false statements, engaging in anti-immigration fearmongering, using dehumanizing rhetoric against political opponents, and promoting conspiracy theories. Originally Harris led in most polls as her campaign gained steam. A central theme of Harris' campaign was a choice between freedom and chaos. Harris sought to highlight her experience as a prosecutor and Trump's 34 felony convictions. The Trump campaign centered around retribution. He promised that this election was the final battle and would use the presidency against opponents. A unique key issue of 2024 was the Israeli-Hamas war which has killed thousands particularly in Gaza. Many progressives who supported Gaza did not vote for Harris, who is a staunch supporter of Israel. Trump won the election, taking 312 electoral votes and a narrow plurality of the popular vote, the first time he has won in this category. Democratic turnout was down from 2020 numbers, with Harris losing millions of votes. Trump won over many Hispanics and men across the board, specifically white men. Some in the Democratic Party placed blame on the party's perceived abandonment of working-class voters, who voted for Trump in droves. Another theory was Biden's late exit and lack of an open primary made many Democratic voters feel sidelined. Whatever the causes of Harris' loss, Trump made perhaps the greatest political comeback in American history after being seen as a failure by many just four years before.

Second Trump Presidency[]

As of the time of writing, the second Trump presidency has not started yet. Although prior to his inauguration, Trump had picked some controversial candidates for cabinet positions, including Representative Matt Gaetz, who is under federal investigation for sex trafficking. Trump has also made statements described as nationalistic, such as saying he will use military or economic force to take the Panama Canal, Greenland and even threatened to make Canada the 51st state.

Major Parties[]

  • Liberal dot 2 The Democratic Party is a social liberal political party in the United States, founded in 1828. At the time of the 2016 election, the Democratic Party was divided between a moderate liberal wing (typified by New Democrats and Blue Dog Democrats such as Hillary Clinton) and a left-wing progressive wing (which rallied around Bernie Sanders). The 2016 Democratic primaries saw 55.2% of Democrats back the centrist Clinton and 43.1% the democratic socialist Sanders, marking a leftward shift in the Democratic electorate.
    • The Progressive Democrats are an influential faction in the party. They saw their star status rise during the Obama years and culminated with the campaign of Bernie Sanders in the 2016 Democratic Primaries. They continued to be popular throughout the Trump and Biden years in office despite not holding the executive power. The progressives find their support amongst young voters, urbanites, college-educated professionals, labor unions, and racial minorities. The faction's geographic base is in the urban centers of the coasts, college towns, and parts of the Midwest. They advocate for a government that works for everyone, not just the wealthy. Progressive Democrats push for the Green New Deal, Medicare for All, tuition-free college, wealth taxes, expansive civil rights and LGBTQ+ policies, and fighting inequality. Most of the faction also supports Gaza in the wake of the Israeli-Hamas war and launched a major uncommitted campaign against the Biden and Harris campaigns in 2024. They are sometimes described as populist.
    • The New Democrats are a center-left establishment faction of the Democratic Party. They saw their creation under Bill Clinton in the 1990s and were swept back into power by Barack Obama in 2008. In 2016, this faction, led by Hillary Clinton, defeated progressive Democrat Bernie Sanders in the primary. Clinton would go on to lose the election in an upset. This faction stood staunchly against the Trump administration during his first term in office. They sought to balance the more centrist and progressive minds of the party. Joe Biden led the faction back into power by defeating incumbent Donald Trump after four tumultuous years. Biden led a campaign catering to centrist swing voters. In 2024, due to Biden's old age and low approval ratings, Kamala Harris took over the helm as leader. Trump defeated Harris in the election, in a serious blow to the faction as a whole. Their voter base is center-left voters, suburbanites, college-educated voters, union workers, and moderate minorities. The faction's geographic base is the swing states and areas with large suburban and college-educated populations. Although, by 2024, the faction lost the support of large swaths of working-class and Hispanic voters. Most of this faction are also moderate supporters of Israel. The New Democrats support incremental health reform, expanded climate initiatives, student loan relief, gun control, and middle-class tax relief.
    • The New Blue Dog Democrats are a more conservative faction of the party. They were influential under Bill Clinton but fell out of favor during the 2010s and 2020s. Some Blue Dog Democrats held out, like Senator John Tester and Senator Joe Manchin. The Blue Dog's voter base consisted of rural and working-class voters, older Democrats, socially conservative minorities, centrists, and Christian Democrats. The faction grew increasingly weary of the rise of progressive rhetoric. They saw their main support in the rural Midwest, parts of the South, small towns, and traditional working-class areas. During the Trump years, many were open to working with him on core issues, despite not supporting him beyond that. The core policies of the Blue Dog Democrats are fiscal responsibility, moderate climate policies, infrastructure investment, working-class investment, and moderate stances on social issues. The faction has also staunchly supported Israel. Many Blue Dogs in the 2020s moved away from the Democratic Party or thought that the party lost its core values.
    • The Identity Justice Coalition is a liberal faction in the Democratic Party. This faction is centered on supporting marginalized communities in policy-making. The faction saw strong support during 2016 and the early Trump years under leaders such as Julian Castro and Stacey Abrams but largely lost influence later on in Trump's presidency. The coalition saw a brief resurgence during the 2020 BLM protests, with identity politics and radical police reform back on the forefront. The voter base of this faction is African Americans, Latinos, Indigenous communities, women's rights activists, and younger LGBTQ+ voters. They see support in cities, tribal lands, and majority-minority areas across the country. The Identity Justice faction is focused on racial justice, voting rights, police reform, abortion rights, and equity in housing and education. They also advocate for reparations for Indigenous and Black communities.
  • Big tent dot The Republican Party is a conservative and, since the rise of Trumpism, a right-wing populist political party in the United States, founded in 1854. The 2016 Republican primaries saw Donald Trump win the support of 44.9% of Republican voters, beating Tea Party-backed candidates Ted Cruz's 25.1% and Marco Rubio's 11.3% and establishment conservative John Kasich's 13.8%. Trump's presidential campaign brought conspiratorial and racist ideas to the mainstream, such as the "great replacement" theory (arguing that the Democrats supported open immigration in order to "replace" native-born American voters with an imported immigrant electorate), Islamophobia, anti-Mexican sentiment (such as the "stealing our jobs" canard), and - after 2020 - the QAnon conspiracy theory and anti-vaccination myths.
    • The America First Republicans, or Trumpism, is a political ideology and major faction of the Republican Party. This faction rose to prominence during the 2016 election with Donald Trump entering the presidential race. Trump's brash and populist style won over many Republicans, and he eventually won the presidency in 2016. Throughout his presidency, many Republican politicians came to support him, and they became the dominant faction. The faction saw a slight decline in the early Biden years but remained strong and eventually returned to power with the 2024 election and Trump's victory. The American First faction's voter base is made up of white working-class voters, rural communities, anti-globalists, populists, Hispanics, and religious conservatives. They are most popular in the Rust Belt states, the South, rural localities, and traditional working-class areas. Trumpism supports anti-globalist views, protectionism, major immigration restrictions, nationalism, skepticism of NATO and the UN, tax cuts, and deregulation. The slogan, "Make America Great Again," espouses the anti-interventionist views of this faction. The America First Republicans strongly support Israel and have cozied up to Russia in the past. The rise of Trumpism is widely believed to be backlash against the elites and the establishment.
    • The Reagan Revivalists are a conservative, business-oriented faction of the party. The faction was dominant during the 2000s and 2010s and faced a sudden decline when Trump's America First faction took over the party. Since then, many Reagan Republicans either lost elections, retired, or joined the America First faction, although some remain, such as Mitch McConnell, Liz Cheney, Mitt Romney, and Nikki Haley. This faction saw their voter base consist of suburban conservatives, business elites, older voters, Catholics, and free-market libertarians. Geographically, the Reagan Revivalists see their base of support in affluent suburbs, especially in Texas, Georgia, Florida, and Arizona. Their main message was to return to the pre-Trump era of conservative stability and traditional ideals. Reagan Revivalists supported Reaganomics, strong national defense, hawkish foreign policy (including support for Ukraine and Israel), limited government, immigration reform rather than restriction, and family values.
    • The Christian Right Republicans are a very socially conservative faction in the Republican Party. This faction frequently allies itself with Donald Trump and encompasses many Southern Republicans. This faction saw its expansion outside of the Deep South with the rise of the America First faction. The Christian Right's voter base is among Evangelicals, socially conservative Catholics, and right-wing culture warriors. They see the strongest support in the Deep South, rural Midwest, and parts of Appalachia, especially West Virginia. The faction strongly opposes abortion and LGBTQ+ policies, supports school prayer, and promotes traditional family values. They also oppose secularism, critical race theory, and liberal cultural influences. Parts of this faction also support turning America into a Christian nationalist state. Some leaders of this faction include Mike Pence, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Josh Hawley, and Franklin Graham.
    • The Libertarian Populists are a libertarian faction of the Republican Party. This faction saw a sharp rise in support during the 2010s, bolstered by the Tea Party Movement against President Obama. Most of the faction supports Donald Trump, though some are frightened by his sometimes dictator-like rhetoric. The Libertarian Populists see their voter base consisting of anti-authoritarians, young conservatives, tech entrepreneurs, and disillusioned Democrats and Independents. They see their strongest support in the West, especially Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho; parts of Texas; and Alaska. Small government, gun rights, anti-censorship, individual liberty, and cryptocurrency are popular policies of the Libertarian Republicans. They are also skeptical of American foreign involvement and support America First policies. Since 2024, this faction has been rising in popularity nationwide under leaders such as Vivek Ramaswamy, Elon Musk, and Rand Paul.
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