From the get-go, Trump was immediately a different candidate from all the rest. For one, he made history as just the fifth president in U.S. history to have no prior political experience. Even so, the other four even had military or judicial experience, making Trump a complete novice. Although his fellow candidates were politically significant, he was known for his career as a B-tier celebrity, with multiple failed enterprises and guest appearances in Home Alone.

There were numerous unorthodox practices Trump either introduced or hyperbolized in American political society. However, there were five main evident and memorable ones.

The first is his tendency to attack his opponents. Going on the offensive is by no means uncommon in our political atmosphere, but the scale and manner in which he did so was almost unprecedented. 

The next is his blatant opposition to fundamental institutions. He has openly opposed practices such as the presidential debates that date back decades in American history, even aiding the Republican National Committee’s withdrawal from the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD). Even more so, he has opposed entire elections, claiming they were corrupted and falsified, calling to his supporters and the rest of America to protest the “irreparably compromised” presidential election. 

Trump is infamous for his cult following and when he introduced notions like these to the public so openly and convincingly, he encouraged others to express similar harmful sentiments. 

Kazuma Morris ’23 agreed, saying “Trump has been hated by the vocal minority and press, yet has had a successful career in politics. It has opened the American eyes to the other half of the U.S., a half that is now dangerously vocal and violent in some cases.”

Though he evades the blame, one of the most prominent and tangible examples of this was the insurrection on January 6th, 2021. A majority of Americans believe that Trump incited the attack on the capitol as a result of his address on the National Mall making claims that he had won the election by a “landslide” and “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol”. Only moments after he said this, his supporters marched to the capitol with the intent of halting the vote count. 

Similarly, Thaddeus Jones ’25 said “January 6th and similar events and comments he has made just ignited a lot of anti-democratic sentiment and fueled political unrest. There is a lack of belief in democracy. Incidents such as the capitol raid have shown that the people do not accept our democratic voting system. This mentality is fueled by Trump’s party.”

Additionally, arguably one of the most significant impacts that Trump’s legacy has cemented into both domestic and international politics is the significant and ever-growing partisan divide. According to Dimock and Gramlich of the Pew Research Center, “an average of 86% of Republicans approved of Trump’s handling of the job … compared with an average of just 6% of Democrats – the widest partisan gap in approval for any president in the modern era of polling.”

These partisan divides are increasingly more apparent as conflicts between democrats and republicans persist and continue to hinder the election of the next speaker of the house. 

After Nancy Pelosi stepped down as Speaker of the House after 20 years, this election has proven to be monumental. After a baffling 15 rounds of voting, Kevin McCarthy was eventually elected as the U.S. House Speaker. 

The election of the speaker of the house is just one example of many more to come of the progressively detrimental effects of partisan divides. There will innately and inevitably be inter-party conflicts however, there is a notion that seems to be increasingly forgotten among both politicians and everyone alike. It is that while this debate and questioning can be healthy and productive, compromise and overall well-being should be a resulting objective from our elected officials. 

Expressing similar sentiments, Shadman Syed ‘25 said,  “Politics has become us versus them. Politics is a way to solve issues but now it’s the issue itself. We have endless campaigning, but no policy changes.”

Trump’s win in 2016 was stunning to a lot of people. Many were surprised that Trump had even made it that far in the election and that the Republican party would even support a candidate of his prevalence. Six years later, the effects of Trump’s campaign and political presence are evident. His actions have led to the endorsement and support of ill-qualified candidates such as Herschel Walker in Georgia, and even more so, with him only trailing Raphael Warnock by a considerably small margin. Another pointed example would be Marjorie Taylore Greene. The uber-conservative is infamous for promoting far-right conspiracy theories which makes for a surprising characterization of a Georgia representative.

Before Trump, there was a certain character and integrity expected of candidates from all parties, but Trump’s administration has eroded such standards.

In a survey that I conducted amongst Bronx Science students concerning Trump’s impact on politics and the current political climate, students expressed their opinions on how Trump has influenced politics.                                                                             

Morris ’23 said, “Even MAGA candidates in the midterm election have adopted the notion of poll machines being rigged. It’s a bad period in American politics. It’s hard to run a nation when only half the people support you after an election win.” 

Dhruv Agarwal ’25 said, “I think the way Trump has swayed the public into believing the various false information and hate he spreads out has been his most significant impact, an impact the entire nation is seeing with the various events going on these days.”

A common theme in these responses reflects a major pattern in Trump’s behavior, an incessant repetition of misinformation especially amongst his following. 

Justin Wang ’24 said, “It seems to be mostly unintelligent discourse – denial/creation of policies solely out of spite. It merely follows a very predictable trend of escalation that results in making all individuals involved in politics radicals. I would say that he was a catalyst for the radicalization of individuals, and his actions have served to deepen the divide between Democrats and Republicans.

Regardless of whether you think Trump was a positive or negative force in American politics, there is no denying that he has left an indelible mark on American politics. 

There will innately and inevitably be inter-party conflicts however, there is a notion that seems to be increasingly forgotten among both politicians and everyone alike. It is that while this debate and questioning can be healthy and productive, compromise and overall well-being should be a resulting objective from our elected officials.