Donald Trump's famous blonde locks are not yet sculpted alongside George Washington or Abraham Lincoln. But the absence of the Republican candidate for the American presidential election on Mount Rushmore does not prevent him from having left his mark on the political life of the United States. Mid-October, The Economist also devoted its coverage to the “Trumpification” of political life across the Atlantic.
Because in a single mandate and a short decade of political life (but still three campaigns), the billionaire has shaken up the political – and media – landscape of the country. Whether or not he manages to get elected again on November 5, his influence is indisputable. “Donald Trump has turned upside down not only political life but even American society as a whole. It’s extraordinary that a single person could have had such an impact on a society,” exclaims Olivier Richomme, professor of American civilization at Lumière Lyon-2 University.
Trump “dictates the rules of the game”
“All low blows are permitted in American electoral campaigns. As early as the 1800s, Thomas Jefferson, then a presidential candidate, was accused of having had a child with a black slave, recalls Denis Lacorne, emeritus research director at Sciences Po and specialist in the history of the United States. But Donald Trump is not content with invectives against his political adversaries, he targets entire human groups. » For example, the real estate mogul recently stated that “in Springfield, immigrants steal and eat dogs and cats.” Between aggressive diatribes and murderous tweets, Donald Trump has dynamited political communication.
His freedom of tone, however, does not seem to be transposable to other candidates, even Republicans. “Some tried like Ron de Santis [le gouverneur de Floride qui s’était présenté à la primaire républicaine en 2023]but they did not succeed,” recalls Olivier Richomme. For him, Donald Trump “dictates the rules of the game” but at the same time, many rules do not apply to him. The former president is in fact not sanctioned by his electorate for his racist outings or his legal affairs, unlike other American politicians whose slightest slip-up can be costly.
The Republican Party “in a lamentable state”
If no one can therefore “do Trump”, the real estate mogul has nevertheless profoundly “distorted the Republican Party”, explains Denis Lacorne. “Donald Trump has made it a party where criticism is prohibited. He placed people who are extreme from an ideological or religious point of view and who, before him, did not have the same weight in the party.” And therefore in American politics, explains the United States specialist. From now on, “there is no longer any boundary between the man, his business and the party,” explains Olivier Richomme. “The Republican Party that he will leave is in a lamentable state, we wonder what could emerge after his departure. »
The candidate also fundamentally changed the trajectory of the country by appointing three new Republican – and particularly conservative – judges to the Supreme Court. The members of this body are appointed for life, these choices of Donald Trump will therefore set the guideline for the country for a long time. “His political legacy is there, and it will have consequences for the next thirty years at least,” says Olivier Richomme. The annulment in 2022 of the Roe vs. Wade ruling, which gave the right to abortion to all American women, is one of the most resounding effects.
The collapse of voter confidence
Finally, Donald Trump has damaged American democracy, perhaps permanently, with false information and in particular false accusations of electoral fraud. ” THE fake news are not new in the United States but for Donald Trump, it is becoming systematic and it is getting worse over time,” regrets Denis Lacorne. The political scientist cites in particular a false video accusing Tim Waltz, Kamala Harris's running mate, of child abuse. By insisting that the elections had been stolen, Donald Trump also convinced many Americans.
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“If he is not re-elected, some of his supporters will probably not believe in his electoral defeat. But even in two, three, four election cycles, it's hard to imagine putting the toothpaste back in the tube. Those who no longer believe in the integrity of elections will be difficult to convince,” worries Olivier Richomme. The United States specialist also confides that he is afraid that “this erosion of confidence will continue and become part of the Trump legacy”.
