POLITICAL POLARIZATION AND VILLAINIZATION OF WOMEN IN POLITICS

Abstract

Donald J. Trump served as the 45th President of the United States, without any prior government or military experience, and left the country more polarized than it had ever been in recent history. In a 2018 Presidents and Executive Politics Presidential Greatness survey, respondents were asked to reflect on several Presidents, and when reviewed, Donald Trump was ranked lowest on presidential greatness and highest on political polarization (Eady et al., 2018). There is extensive research in political science on partisan polarization within the country, with leading literature including, “How Elite Partisan Polarization Affects Public Opinion Formation” by James Druckman et al. (2013), research on climate change and widening polarization within the United States by Riley Dunlap et al. (2016), and literature on how media coverage of partisan polarization affects political attitude by Levendusky and Malhotra (2015). All of these important articles discuss partisan polarization in relation to an external topic’s connection to it, such as public opinion, climate change, and the media. My paper instead focuses on important ways President Donald Trump, specifically, increased partisan polarization within the United States. I find that Trump’s successful polarization was done by isolating people into groups and demonizing the “other,” with a specific focus in this literature on women, and by creating a new brand of politics. Through my research, I find that Donald Trump’s strong party and base formation aligned consistently with political psychology findings around Social Identity Theory, Social Dominance Theory, the Contact Hypothesis, and Realistic Conflict Theory, to name a few. My research in political psychology provides a base for understanding why Trump’s supporters followed him so loyally, as identity and psychological needs were being fulfilled by their group affiliation to the Trump-Republican party. Supporters’ strong and deep, existing beliefs were reinforced through their membership. The Trump party fueled group conflict and activated loyalty within Trump supporters. In my thesis, I also expand on Suzanne Dovi’s notion of Trump’s “Name-brand populism,” finding that the President replaced democratic values with those of the market, changing how politics was viewed and received within the country. Trump made the United States a country centered on exclusivity, choosing who could participate and who was welcome. I find that Trump’s un-presidential behavior, which includes virulent speech, racist comments, absurd usage of Twitter, strange photo appearances, and sexist treatment of women, contributed to his ability to increase partisan polarization within the United States. I believe that Donald Trump had a powerful ability to mobilize, polarize, and villainize the American people and that his behavior was a fueling mechanism for frustration and anger among the American electorate, which divided people not only on political issues but moral beliefs as well. In addition, my research on Trump’s villainization of “others” and demonization of women in politics indicates that the country experienced further partisan polarization due to increased hostility toward female politicians, a reinforcement of prejudice, and an acceptance of radical rhetoric under his leadership. I conclude that Donald Trump’s villainization of marginalized groups, specifically women, is leading to an increase in violence toward women in politics, arguing that although Trump no longer holds the title of “President,” his brand and rhetoric have been adopted by many members of the Republican Party at large. I argue that if leaders like Donald Trump continue to be elected to office, the partisan divide will only widen, and the country will no longer be the United States of America.