"We tend to picture American politics in the Donald Trump era as two more-or-less equally matched coalitions of voters who have wildly disparate views of public policy and are very angry about it. The current federal-government shutdown, in which the two parties in Congress are shouting at each other on social media but not talking to each other at all, reflects this perspective of total gridlock."
"The unemployment rate for Americans between the ages of 16 and 24 has jumped to 10.5 percent from 9 percent since Trump returned to the White House, a period that coincided with a marked decline in their participation in the labor force. Black joblessness has also climbed, with federal workforce cuts and a broad slowdown in hiring contributing to the rise."
"Thanks to our winner-take-all system of electoral rewards, however, Republicans control everything in Washington, D.C., despite narrow advantages in House and Senate membership and a close presidential win in 2024. The expanding GOP coalition appears to be shrinking again, mostly because the promise of a great economy under Trump 2.0 is looking like an illusion if not a lie, as Politico explains:"
American politics appears divided into two angry, mismatched coalitions, yet Republicans currently control all federal branches due to winner-take-all electoral rules despite narrow margins. The brief expansion of the GOP coalition after 2024 is eroding as economic realities under Trump 2.0 fail to materialize. Youth unemployment for ages 16–24 rose to 10.5 percent and labor force participation declined, while Black joblessness climbed amid federal cuts and slower hiring. Paychecks for both groups fell in the year's first half even as overall weekly earnings accelerated. Early Latino gains for Republicans are showing signs of weakening.
Read at Intelligencer
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