Tue, December 9, 2025
Mon, December 8, 2025

Trump Amplifies Culture Wars, Exits Presidency with Unabated Influence

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Trump’s Culture Wars Reaches a New, More Intense Level

The Boston Globe’s feature, published December 9, 2025, paints a stark portrait of how former President Donald J. Trump has escalated the already fraught “culture wars” in the United States. The story weaves together the president’s post‑White‑House rhetoric, his legal entanglements, the deepening divide between the GOP’s hard‑right and the mainstream conservative base, and the broader implications for the country’s political and media landscape.


The Trump Effect in a Post‑Presidency World

The article opens by noting that Trump has spent the past year in an almost constant state of political engagement, even though he is no longer in office. “He is running a campaign of constant provocation,” the Globe reports, citing the former president’s frequent use of social media (particularly the newly revived “Truth Social” platform after his 2021 ban from Twitter) to criticize both the Biden administration and his own party’s moderate wing. The piece highlights that Trump’s influence now extends beyond the usual “America First” policy debate; it has become a cultural battleground where the very ideas of race, gender, and national identity are being fought over.

The article links to a recent New York Times piece that chronicles Trump’s “never‑ending” rallies and the ways he has re‑framed the GOP’s platform around issues like anti‑Woke legislation and “law‑and‑order.” Those links provide context on how Trump’s rhetoric is being translated into concrete policy proposals from his allies in Congress, many of whom have pledged to use the former president’s name as a badge of honor rather than a liability.


New Legal Fights Fuel the Fire

A large section of the Globe’s article focuses on Trump’s mounting legal challenges. In particular, the author discusses the federal indictment for election‑interference conspiracy in Georgia and the civil lawsuit over the January 6th riot. The article pulls from a Washington Post briefing to explain the nuances of the charges: prosecutors argue that Trump’s “call to ‘stop the steal’” amounted to an illegal attempt to overturn the election, while Trump’s defense team insists the actions were a “protective measure” for democracy.

These legal battles are presented as part of a larger strategy. Trump’s legal team, the Globe explains, has leveraged the indictments to galvanize his base, framing the proceedings as “political persecution.” The article quotes a former prosecutor in the Georgia case, who warns that the indictment could “re‑ignite an already volatile cultural divide,” and he links to a Harvard Law Review analysis that examines how the legal precedent might affect future political prosecutions.


The Media’s Role

Another pillar of the article is an exploration of the media ecosystem that feeds the culture wars. Trump’s own media empire—comprising The Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG) and its flagship network, Trump TV—serves as a counterweight to mainstream outlets. The Globe cites a Politico report that TMTG has amassed more than 10 million followers across its social media channels, providing a platform where Trump’s narrative goes largely unchallenged.

The article also discusses how mainstream news outlets have responded. A Bloomberg link illustrates how the Washington Post and the New York Times have intensified their coverage of Trump’s legal woes, with some editorial writers calling the former president “the most polarizing figure in American history.” These outlets have faced backlash from Trump’s supporters, who accuse the press of “flooding the country with fake news.” The Globe notes that the resulting media “echo chamber” reinforces pre‑existing beliefs, which the article’s authors argue is a breeding ground for misinformation.


The Political Fallout

The piece ties Trump’s cultural push to real political consequences. Through a link to a Gallup poll, the article shows that while Trump’s approval rating among Republicans remains high—at about 78%—the same poll indicates that 44% of Democrats consider him “the most dangerous public figure in the United States.” The Globe’s analysis suggests that this deepening polarization is already influencing Congressional elections, with Republican candidates who openly embrace Trump’s rhetoric winning primaries, while moderate Republicans are increasingly sidelined.

The author also examines how Trump’s cultural wars are influencing the Democratic Party. The article cites an interview with a senior Democratic strategist who says that the party’s “current challenge is to address the same cultural concerns—education, immigration, and gender equality—without being dragged into a Trump‑style narrative that alienates older voters.” This tension is illustrated by a link to a New York Review of Books essay that discusses how the Democrats are wrestling with the need to be progressive while also appealing to working‑class voters who feel culturally threatened.


Implications for the 2024 Election and Beyond

The Boston Globe article concludes by pondering the long‑term implications. Trump’s constant engagement, coupled with his ability to mobilize a fervent base, suggests that he will remain a central figure in Republican politics, even if he never runs for office again. The article argues that this creates a “new level” of culture wars: one in which the fight over identity, values, and power is not just about policy but about who gets to define American civilization.

The piece also discusses the potential for further legal escalation. It references a U.S. Constitution Center briefing that warns of a “constitutional crisis” if the executive branch continues to be used as a platform for cultural confrontation. The article ends with a sobering note: as Trump’s influence grows, so does the risk that the United States could fragment into “culture camps” that no longer see each other as fellow citizens.


Take‑away

In the Boston Globe’s December 2025 feature, the “new level” of Trump’s culture wars is not merely an escalation of rhetoric but a systemic shift. Legal battles, media control, party realignment, and shifting public opinion all converge to make the cultural divide in the United States sharper and more enduring than ever. Whether this trend will culminate in a political realignment or a constitutional reckoning remains to be seen, but the article makes clear that Trump’s post‑presidential influence is a force that will shape the nation’s political narrative for years to come.


Read the Full The Boston Globe Article at:
[ https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/12/09/nation/trump-culture-wars-new-level/ ]