America’s post-2016 political transformation continued into 2023. Anti-establishment populism buoyed former President Donald Trump’s candidacy: The more indictments he faced, the more popular he became among Republican voters. This bizarre set of circumstances has set the stage for a presidential election for which there are few obvious parallels in our past.
The 2024 election is expected to be a rematch of 2020 as Mr. Trump takes on the incumbent President Biden but with a possible third-party or independent candidate adding another layer of unpredictability. For instance, polls show that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is receiving small but significant support.
In this final History As It Happens episode of 2023, historians Jeremi Suri and Jeffrey Engel discuss third-party challengers such as Ross Perot in 1992. They also delve into the reliability of polling with almost an entire year until the election. Anyone who remembers President George H.W. Bush’s approval ratings in 1991 — about 90% — can tell you that nothing is guaranteed one year later.
The two scholars also discuss the uproar over campus antisemitism and free speech that brought down the president of the University of Pennsylvania. Institutions of higher learning are faced with the challenge of maintaining a welcoming atmosphere for a diverse student body while also protecting the right to express unpopular or offensive ideas.
History As It Happens is available at www.washingtontimes.com or wherever you find your podcasts.
