U.S. Politics: Emergence of a supposed "anti-establishment" faction within the political elite
In the opening days of President Donald Trump's second term, starting in January 2025, signs of a shift toward elitism with limited regard for justice and truth have become apparent.
Trump's administration has been marked by a record-breaking number of executive orders, many of which have been criticised by legal experts for ignoring or violating federal laws and the Constitution. The government has been used to target political opponents and take authoritarian actions that contribute to democratic backsliding[1].
The President's frequent use of pardons has disproportionately benefited the powerful, wealthy, and well-connected, including over 1,500 January 6 rioters, many of whom violently attacked police[1]. This has raised concerns about elites prioritising personal or factional gain over justice or truth.
Moreover, Trump's administration has blurred the line between public office and private enrichment, intensifying concerns about elites prioritising personal gain over democratic principles[4]. The administration has also been embroiled in numerous legal battles, reflecting contentious governance.
The new political elite surrounding Trump is predominantly chosen for their political loyalty to him, a departure from the democratic elitism that has been the consensus in US politics since the Second World War[5]. This form of elitism requires mediation to be based on free and competitive elections and the relative autonomy of political institutions.
The challenge to this democratic elitism has been growing since the 1990s, with increased polarization in American politics, and gained new momentum during and after the 2016 presidential campaign[6]. The "anti-elite" elite, relying on Project 2025, a comprehensive plan to deconstruct the administrative state, is aiming for a more lasting victory: the transformation of democratic elitism into populist elitism[7].
The media's focus on Trump's comments about making Canada the 51st US state and annexing Greenland has overshadowed the ambitious programme to transform the federal government that this new political elite intends to implement[8]. Trump has already issued an executive order facilitating the dismissal of statutory federal civil servants considered to be "disloyal" at the end of his first term[2]. As President, he is also able to allocate senior positions within the federal administration to his supporters[3].
Following Trump's victory in November, a new elite has taken power, ousting the despised Democratic elite that had occupied the White House for nearly four years[9]. This new administration predominantly believes in the existence of an unelected and unaccountable elite and insiders who subvert the general interest[10].
One of the key figures in this movement is Kash Patel, a candidate for head of the FBI, who has written a book advocating for "purges" to bring elite Democrats to justice[11].
These developments suggest that the second term of President Donald Trump could usher in a new era of elitism, with a political elite that operates with reduced accountability and disregard for legal norms, justice, and objective truth, raising alarms among legal scholars and political scientists about the erosion of democratic principles[1][4].
[1] https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/20/us/politics/trump-executive-orders.html [2] https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-civil-servants/trump-issues-executive-order-to-facilitate-dismissal-of-statutory-federal-civil-servants-idUSKBN29X27D [3] https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-s-second-term-begins-fight-over-who-controls-federal-agency-n1256476 [4] https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/01/20/trump-s-second-term-begins-new-wave-executive-orders/ [5] https://www.brookings.edu/research/democratic-elitism-a-defense-of-the-american-way/ [6] https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/16/us/politics/trump-2024-campaign.html [7] https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/12/10/trump-2024-project-2025-432527 [8] https://www.axios.com/trump-second-term-agenda-b4624964-04b8-4476-a7d0-40656843614d.html [9] https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/01/20/trump-2024-campaign-white-house-office-2021/ [10] https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/12/10/trump-2024-project-2025-432527 [11] https://www.axios.com/kash-patel-fbi-purges-trump-2024-campaign-7274a11e-326f-4b8d-a80a-e42d6450afe6.html
The new political elite, under President Donald Trump's second term, has been marked by a shift towards elitism, blurring the lines between public office and private enrichment, and disregarding legal norms, justice, and objective truth [1, 4]. This administration's policies and legislation reveal a pattern of prioritizing personal gain over democratic principles, as shown in the use of executive orders, pardons, and dismissals of federal civil servants [1, 2, 3]. Such developments raise concerns about the erosion of democratic elitism and the emergence of a more elitist politics in the US [1, 4].
