Washington – The year 2023 has been distinctive in the United States, with an increase in American skepticism towards the current political system. This sentiment stretches across various facets, including satisfaction with the president's performance, faith in the efficacy of political institutions, and particularly, eroding trust in the judicial system, namely the Supreme Court.
All indicators point to American citizens holding overwhelmingly negative views on politics, elected officials, and institutions, with little hope for improvement on the horizon. This atmosphere is marked by an unprecedented and sharp political polarization between both parties across a range of issues, which has further extended to large segments of the electorate.
The year kicked off with a civil war within the Republican Party over the choice of a new Speaker of the House, a tumultuous debate that didn't conclude until the end of October. Moreover, the year was characterized by the drama surrounding former President Donald Trump, who faced criminal charges in federal and state courts – a first in American history for a former president and a candidate for the upcoming elections.
Legal challenges were not exclusive to Republicans; Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, faced criminal charges with potential severe political ramifications on his father's electoral prospects for 2024.
Throughout the past year, Trump indisputably remained the kingmaker of the Republicans. The gap between him and other potential Republican candidates for the 2024 election widened to such an extent that envisioning any other Republican being in the electoral race besides Trump seems unlikely.
Congressional Chaos
2023 in Washington began with a marathon to elect a new Speaker of the House following the Republicans gaining a majority after the November 2022 midterm elections. After 15 failed attempts, Representative Kevin McCarthy was elected as Speaker, the third-most powerful position in the U.S. political system. However, McCarthy remained in the post for only 270 days.
A small group of right-wing Republican representatives managed to inspire a rebellion within the party, leading to McCarthy's overthrow on issues related to the federal debt ceiling crisis. The two parties managed to avert a government shutdown at the last minute in September after reaching a budget deal, resulting in McCarthy's ousting on October 3rd.
Following failed attempts to appoint a new Speaker of the House, Republican Representative Mike Johnson was eventually chosen on October 25th, after the position had been vacant for weeks, leading to paralysis in the House's functions.
Legal Issues and Trials
Former President Donald Trump became the first president accused of committing a crime when a grand jury in Manhattan, New York, voted to charge him with 34 counts of falsifying business records in March.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg claimed that Trump doctored business records to conceal "hush money" payments made to assist his 2016 election campaign. Then, a federal court charged Trump with 37 counts related to alleged mishandling of classified documents and obstructing the investigation into missing documents in Florida.
The indictment followed after officials raided Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, seizing dozens of boxes believed to contain highly classified documents from his presidency. This was followed by criminal charges from the state of Georgia against Trump, alleging his attempt to intervene in changing the state's results in the 2020 elections and requesting state Republican officials to "find" 11,000 additional votes for him.
In September, a federal court brought criminal charges against Trump for his alleged role in the January 6, 2021, events when thousands of his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to disrupt Congress' certification of Biden's 2020 election victory, resulting in deaths and injuries to dozens of Capitol police officers.
On the Democratic side, federal prosecutors charged Hunter Biden, the president's son, with three counts related to tax evasion and unlawful possession of firearms. Hunter Biden's financial dealings have prompted the Republican-majority House of Representatives to initiate impeachment investigations against President Biden, alleging his involvement in his son's business deals during his vice-presidency from 2008-2016.
Trump as Republican Monarch
Despite recurring court appearances and the potential for imprisonment if convicted, the loyalty and support of the Republican voting bloc for Trump have not wavered. Neutral, repeated polls show Trump's continued wide lead over other contenders for the Republican nomination for the 2024 elections.
In the average of the polls, Trump garners 62% of Republican voter support, leading by 47% over his closest competitor, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who receives a maximum of 15% support. The rest of the candidates trail with even lower percentages.
It is noted that the 1978 federal law stipulates that conviction of crimes, except for treason, cannot strip a defendant of the right to "hold any government office in the United States." The Constitution's criteria for presidential candidacy include only age, citizenship, and residence requirements, without mention of criminal conviction as grounds to prevent running for president.
Trust in the U.S. Political System
The majority of Americans say the political process is dominated by special interests, flooded with campaign money, and mired in party warfare, preventing strong contenders from emerging and avoiding a clash between elderly candidates – 81-year-old Joe Biden and 77-year-old Donald Trump. As the presidential campaign intensifies, 63% of Americans express dissatisfaction with being forced to choose between Trump and Biden for the second time in four years.
A recent survey by the Pew Research Center, involving over 13,000 people across all fifty states, revealed widespread criticism of the government's three branches, political parties, political leaders, and candidates for office.
The survey found that only 4% believe the political system is functioning very well or quite well, while another 23% think it works fairly well. However, 63% have absolutely no trust in the future of their country's political system.
Positive ratings for many government and political institutions have reached all-time lows, with only 16% of Americans having trust in the federal government, and an increasing percentage of the public despising both political parties.
86% of Americans feel that Republicans and Democrats focus more on fighting each other than on solving problems. 72% view Congress negatively, and 54% have a negative perspective of the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden's performance approval rating did not exceed 40% throughout 2023.
In the end, 2023 was a leap year politically and economically for most Americans, both domestically and internationally. Yet optimism remains elusive for what 2024 may bring, especially as most of the issues and conflicts caused by or supported by American policies and postures in the past year have not been resolved or settled.
