Without a unifying leader, Democrats face a fragmented future. While centrist voices gain ground, the party still lacks a figurehead like Trump, whose influence dominates the GOP. Until a clear Democratic leader emerges, party cohesion—and victory—remains uncertain.
“A house divided cannot stand”. This biblical phrase is more broadly recognized as having been famously delivered by Abraham Lincoln in his “House Divided” speech in 1858. In his speech, Lincoln argued that the United States could not survive as a country if divided by slavery.
Sadly, today’s political environment in the United States is comparable. There are those within the extreme right and Trump’s Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement that are quietly hoping for another civil war.
Their arguments are based on race, immigration, and a perceived sense of displacement that many Americans (white and other races) feel as a result of economic stagnation or a perceived lack of economic opportunities and socioeconomic advancement.
The American Dream, how to attain it, and who has a right to do so are all key elements of the MAGA argument for putting “America First.” But at what cost?
The price to pay is the creation of an extreme political faction fueled by resentment, conspiracy theories, and the self-righteous belief that they (and Trump), and only they, are politically correct.
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Hypocrisy knows no limits
Watching Fox News isn’t something I like to do, but it is necessary to understand the root of the new conservatives’ arguments.
I say new conservatives, because the days when the Republican Party was rational, and its main arguments were based on fiscal conservatism are long gone.
Today’s Republican Party is run by Trump loyalists who will say anything to not fall from his grace, and who’s capacity to lie to the public has no shame. All you have to do is look at the Republican Party’s reaction to the recent floodings in central Texas.
Holding the party line was the most important part of their public responses. Forget that Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” gutted resources to address natural disasters and monitoring of weather patterns that could give impacted regions significant time to take preventive measures.
Is it a coincidence that U.S. Senator Ted Cruz always seems to be abroad when natural disasters and extreme weather impact Texas? He was in Greece when this latest tragedy happened and in Cancun in 2021 when severe winter storms left millions without power.
“Anything Texas needs, the answer is yes,” he stated in a press conference with Texas Governor Greg Abbott.
That’s not the response that California received during the devastating fires that impacted the communities of Altadena and Pacific Palisades. Instead, Republicans focused on criticizing Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and her travel to Ghana as part of U.S. delegation. No Republican has criticized Ted Cruz. Their responses argument that he was responsible and few back right away. Just like Mayor Bass did too.
Republicans even went as far as threatening to withhold federal assistance funds, leveraging them against California’s liberal politics. That was not going to happen to Texas, not in a Republican controlled federal government, but it also wouldn’t happen if Democrats were in power.
There’s a big moral obligation and accountability gap, and Republicans seem blind to it.
Conspiracy theories and Republican divisions
The Epstein files, the Israel-Iran conflict, and the impacts of immigration enforcement are among the many issues causing a severe divide in the Republican Party.
Let’s start with the Israel-Iran conflict. Senator Cruz needed to escape the U.S. after his embarrassing display of lack of knowledge of Iran. Only a week before the floods, Cruz agreed to an interview with Tucker Carlson (an extreme political right journalist), and I’m sure he never thought the interview would turn out to be an embarrassment for him. He thought he was walking into a safe space. But in today’s Republican Party, there are no safe spaces.
You see, Cruz is sympathetic to an extreme faction of religious conservatives and evangelical Christians who believe that a worldwide conflict, started in the Middle East, will be the catalyst for Jesus Christ’s return to our world. That may seem like lunacy to you and me, but they strongly believe that, and by far they are all MAGA sympathizers.
Carlson doesn’t share that belief. If you can call him rational, he and other Republicans were arguing against U.S. intervention – which ultimately did happen. But this interview incident brought to the forefront the deep divide taking place within the Republican Party.
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Unqualified loyalists and a harsh confrontation with reality
When Kash Patel and Dan Bongino were appointed as FBI Director and FBI Deputy Director, Trump signaled that he wanted loyalists in these key offices. After all, former FBI Director James Comey had proven to be a headache, despite his statements on Hillary Clinton’s emails being a considerable influence in favor of Trump in the 2017 election.
It was also former FBI Director, Robert Mueller, who led the investigation on Russian election interference.
Patel and Bongino rose to fame as conspiracy theorists. Patel, a one-time federal prosecutor, also held roles at the National Security Council and Pentagon in Trump’s first administration, but nothing that would qualify him as a candidate for FBI Director.
Prior to his appointment, Patel was a frequent guest at some of the most conservative podcasts, where he promoted conspiracy theories that align with QAnon and the Epstein files.
Keep in mind that despite pictures and rumors of Trump and Epstein’s close friendship throughout the years, conservative conspiracy theorists have always pointed to prominent Democrats being part of Epstein’s clientele and included in the now infamous “Epstein client list.” People like former President Bill Clinton.
It makes sense that conspiracy theorists like Patel and Bongino would push for the release of the Epstein client list. What they didn’t count on was the reality that would face them when standing on the other side of the argument.
Conspiracy theorists like to promote phrases like “the deep state”, but have no answer when confronted with the truth that their theories are not real.
MAGA is deeply divided by the release of the Epstein files or by the mere fact of whether the client list exists or not.
What is real is that this mess was promulgated by Trump himself. It was convenient for him to have the Epstein files, and its conspiracy theories fuel the fire of his MAGA base, until it came time to deliver on the files.
Attorney General Pam Bondi, who ultimately oversees the FBI, is now passing the blame onto Patel. Where this hot potato ultimately lands remains to be seen, but there is no escaping it.
With Trump suing the Wall Street Journal for publishing a letter he wrote to Epstein on his 50th birthday, it only makes him look more guilty. What will his MAGA supporters say if he is named on the client list?
Because of their fanaticism, Trump supporters will find a way to deflect the truth. But others will be made scapegoats; that includes Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi.
A virus in your own family
Political division within family members can be a healthy dynamic, but only if both are allowed to present their views without interruption, elevating their voices, and keeping an open mind.
It pains me to admit this, but I have a family member who has fallen deep into the world of conspiracy theories, and it is a source of deep anguish for those of us who care for this person.
A couple of weeks ago, my family member jubilated when they exclaimed, “Are you seeing how they are taking all those people away?” I replied, “You mean the raids with cowards covering their faces and kidnapping American citizens?”
They went on to explain the following: “They are only taking those who are not citizens, and your citizenship is determined by blood. You can only be a citizen if both your parents are citizens.”
I was left dumbfounded. I explained that U.S. citizenship isn’t based on “blood” as if it was some sort of aristocratic right. Furthermore, I added that the U.S. has birthright citizenship and that while ICE is taking entire families away, they are taking citizens and people who have every right to be here.
I then explained that if birthright citizenship wasn’t a policy, then why is Trump trying to get rid of it? They only got angry, rolled their eyes, and walked away in frustration.
As they walked away, I asked: “who is feeding you this information? Who are you listening to?” But I knew the answer: Fox News.
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No hope for the Democratic Party
You would think that the divisions within the Republican Party would present an opportunity for Democrats to strike. But they haven’t.
Democrats are experiencing their own version of a house divided by extremism.
In the recent primary for Mayor of New York City, newcomer Zohar Mamdami crushed former Governor Andrew Cuomo. Prior to the election, polls indicated that Cuomo was the leading candidate, but Mamdami surprised everyone.
But was it really a surprise? Leadership within the Democratic Party is out of touch with reality. Did they think that a flawed candidate like Cuomo could win the election? Cuomo fell from grace after allegations of sexual harassment and key figures within his administration pleaded guilty to charges of espionage and other serious crimes. Was he really the best prominent Democratic figure they could postulate?
Democrats haven’t groomed a “next generation”; they have stuck to the old leaders of yesterday. Leaders like Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Shummer, Adam Schiff, and others.
What happens when you don’t groom new leaders and are left to elect the same faces you’ve voted for the past 20+ years? Any choice looks appealing.
Another example is Saikat Chakrabarti, the former Chief of Staff to Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, who is running against Nancy Pelosi. Does he have a chance? No.
Why? Because Pelosi’s district is safe, and they won’t elect a radial left candidate. There is such a thing as “limousine liberals” and they don’t like it if you go too left. California politics are dictated by “limousine liberals.”
Flipping the House of Representatives in 2026
When talking to my D.C. insiders, they feel very confident that Democrats will be able to flip the House of Representatives and take that power away from Republicans.
Not to be a Debbie Downer, but I don’t see it. I don’t see a united party, I don’t see a message of economic opportunity that resonates with voters, and I don’t see the same anti-Trump sentiment in mainstream media that was so prevalent during his first administration.
As an example, CBS just cancelled the Late Night Show with Stephen Colbert. A notably anti-Trump critic, who stepped on the wrong line a couple of nights ago, when he pointed to the settlement that his parent company agreed to with Donald Trump over the handling of an interview with Kamala Harris. He mentioned it was a bribe, and that cost him his job.
Back in 2017, it would have been perfectly ok to say that. That is not the case today.
Both parties are divided by extremism, and until a clear leader, a new centrist Democrat who can appeal to independents, rises from the ranks for the Democratic Party, there is no hope for victory.
Optimists argue that these types of centrist Democrats will be featured and will win their congressional races.
That’s only partially true. What they fail to understand is that party politics are now dictated by a “leader.” Trump is the leader of the Republican Party; there is no doubt about that.
Congressional elections will be won and lost according to the candidate’s association with him. Democrats don’t have that leader. There is no one person who candidates can say they are part of their vision for America. Who are they going to reference? Biden? Obama?
Democrats need to change that, fast.
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George I. Gonzalez
Fundador de la firma Complex Made Simple. Experto en comunicaciones de política pública y comentarista Fundador de Complex Made Simple y experto en comunicaciones politicas y corporativas. Originario de CDMX. Fue designado de la Casa Blanca y subsecretario de prensa de desarrollo urbano y vivienda. También fue gerente de comunicaciones de política pública de Facebook en Washington D.C.y recibe contenido exclusivo
