[Reporter’s Notebook] The Omnipotent Trump: It’s Up to the Democrats to Stop Him

Trump’s Unchecked Policies Drive Approval Ratings to Record Lows

Democrats Fail to Channel Voters’ Anger into Votes

Supporters Frustrated with Aging Party Leadership

Looking at the current political landscape in Korea, it is hard not to think that it is little different from the United States. In short, the problem lies with an incompetent opposition party.

Since his return to the White House in January last year, U.S. President Donald Trump has shown no restraint. He attacks his opponents across all policy areas—diplomacy, national security, trade, and the economy—earning him a reputation for wielding unchecked power. At the end of February, he colluded with Israel to start a war in the Middle East without congressional approval. The Democratic Party belatedly prepared a resolution to stop the attacks, but it was defeated due to the lack of cooperation from the Republican Party.

Public sentiment has shifted. The burden of rising prices caused by a war that has continued for over two months has become a trigger lowering support for the Trump Administration. In recent U.S. polls, his approval rating dropped to the mid-30% range, marking the lowest level across both his first and second terms.

There are several reasons for President Trump’s unchecked dominance, but what stands out is the incompetence of the Democratic Party, which fails to translate voter anger into votes. Former U.S. President Barack Obama has consistently pressured party leaders in both public and private settings, urging them to “respond more forcefully and fight with greater intensity.” He argues that, to truly win votes, the party must address everyday, bread-and-butter issues in the “language of the voters.”

Obama’s concerns are becoming a reality. The Associated Press recently reported on the Democratic primary, noting that newcomers with no political experience are toppling the party’s mainstream politicians, and sharply observed, “Sometimes, Democratic supporters seem more angry at their own aging and entrenched leadership than at President Trump.”

It seems clear that the Democratic leadership has lost its way. Even ahead of the November midterm elections, complaints are already surfacing that the party’s leadership is backing certain candidates during the primaries. The Democratic leadership explains this as a grand strategy to achieve victory in the House of Representatives, but the Republican Party is quick to seize on this as evidence of division. Candidates who feel sidelined immediately rebel against the leadership’s choices and prefer to air their grievances through the media rather than through internal communication. It is utter chaos.

In recent years, the global rise of authoritarian regimes has brought the crisis of democracy to the forefront. Korea is experiencing the disappearance of its opposition party ahead of next month’s local elections. Even the United States, where democracy once flourished, now appears to be in jeopardy.

The hollowing out of democracy, where “checks and balances” are lost, becomes the starting point for public political apathy and cynicism. From that perspective, a counterweight to keep power in check is absolutely necessary in a democracy. Democracy cannot be sustained by the electoral system alone.