미국 민주주의의 위기: 트럼프의 등장과 반동의 정치

Abstract

In 2016, Donald Trump was elected as the president of the United States by those who shared four sociodemographic characteristics: whites, Protestants, high school graduates, and those living in rural areas. Trump’s core supporters, once the majority in the country, become a minority as the demographic changes take place, and their experience of ‘status threat’ leads them to an overt expression of racism and anti-immigrant sentiments in the political arena. The division between Trump’s core supporters and other Americans is the backbone of ideological and affective polarization, and facilitates the rise of populism, a deviant form of democracy characterized by ingroup favoritism and out-group prejudice. The rise of Donald Trump can be attributed to the nature of American political system, which is systematically biased to over-represent the voices of conservative voters. As the equal number of Senators is assigned to each state regardless of its population size, the Electoral College system is tilted toward the interests of the Republican Party. A political reform is necessary to reflect the demographic changes among the American electorate. Otherwise, the American politics will continue to be critically affected by a minority, who wants to “make America great again,” a slogan of the reactionary politics.