[EAI Audio Commentary] The 2020 US Presidential Election Viewed Through the Lens of Identity Politics: What Will Counter Trump’s ‘White Nationalism’ – Biden’s ‘Values’ or Sanders’ ‘Class’?

Editor's Note

The East Asia Institute (President Yeol Son) presents the 'EAI Audio Commentary' series to provide easy and accessible expert analysis on major domestic and international issues. This second installment introduces the commentary by Professor Byong Kwon Park of Chung-Ang University, who presents an outlook on the 2020 US presidential election and countermeasures for Korea. Following the confirmation of President Trump as the Republican nominee, the US is currently the focus of global attention as it holds primaries to determine the leading Democratic candidate to oppose him. Candidates Sanders and Biden are championing, respectively, a ‘class-based identity’ for the working class and the disadvantaged in the US, and an ‘identity of American values’ based on freedom, equality, and the rule of law, in defiance of Trump’s ‘America First’ and ‘white nationalist identity.’ The author suggests that we must wait to see which of these identities – ‘class identity,’ ‘values identity,’ or ‘national identity’ – Americans will choose, and proposes that Korea analyze the power dynamics of each identity to prepare comprehensive countermeasures.

EAI Audio Commentary Script

Hello. The East Asia Institute is conducting the 'EAI Audio Commentary' series to offer expert analysis on complex issues in an easily accessible format. The second topic of 'EAI Audio Commentary' is the 2020 US Presidential Election.

Following the confirmation of President Trump as the Republican nominee, the US is currently the focus of global attention as it holds primaries to determine the leading Democratic candidate to oppose him. Candidates Sanders and Biden are championing, respectively, a ‘class-based identity’ for the working class and the disadvantaged in the US, and an ‘identity of American values’ based on freedom, equality, and the rule of law, in defiance of Trump’s ‘America First’ and white ‘national identity.’ The East Asia Institute aims to examine the outlook of the 2020 US presidential election and corresponding countermeasures for Korea through the commentary of Professor Byong Kwon Park of Chung-Ang University. Shall we begin?

With the start of the Democratic presidential primaries for 2020, beginning with the Iowa caucuses on February 3rd and the New Hampshire primary on the 11th, the US presidential election is heating up overall. After Senator Sanders' initial momentum was somewhat dampened in South Carolina, where Biden secured a victory, Biden's subsequent wins in the Super Tuesday primaries on March 3rd and the mini-Super Tuesday on the 10th have made the Democratic race highly compelling, narrowing it down to a contest between two major candidates. As Senator Sanders has indicated his intention to continue his campaign, the primaries are expected to proceed with Biden having secured significant momentum. Primaries were held in states like Arizona, Florida, and Illinois on March 17th, and thus far, Biden has achieved decisive victories in Florida and Illinois, further bolstering his perceived inevitability. Senator Sanders has indicated his intention to continue his campaign, and thus the primaries will continue with Biden having secured significant momentum. Meanwhile, a yellow caution light has appeared on President Trump's path to re-election.

The perspective on the 2020 US presidential election will vary among researchers and commentators. Some may focus on whether the US will continue its 'America First' foreign policy or restore multilateral or bilateral alliance structures centered around the US. Others may focus on whether the US will continue its excessive pressure on South Korea, such as demands for defense cost-sharing, in relation to the ROK-US alliance.

However, if we focus on US domestic politics, the 2020 Democratic primaries and the subsequent general election can be seen as a battle among three distinct types of American identities. These three identities are: the ‘white nationalist identity’ represented by President Trump; the ‘identity of workers and the socially disadvantaged’ represented by Democratic candidate Sanders; and the ‘identity related to American political values’ represented by Democratic candidate Biden. In short, they can be described as ‘national identity,’ ‘class identity,’ and ‘American values identity.’

These three identities have been roughly selected based on the characteristics of each presidential candidate and their supporters. It is, of course, an oversimplification to view each candidate's base as a group with only one identity. Supporters of each candidate may hold dual or triple identities. However, for the sake of simplifying the discussion, this is a plausible way to view it. These three types of identities are distinguished by the fundamental questions: “Whose country is America?” and “For whom does the American government exist?”

The ‘national identity’ represented by President Trump views white Europeans as the true inheritors of America, as was clearly evident during the 2016 US presidential election. This national identity is particularly pronounced among less educated, lower-income blue-collar workers who feel discontent and anxiety towards America’s traditional pluralism, open immigration policies, and globalization. President Trump advocates for 'America First' to protect America's sovereignty and the interests of white people, maintains anti-immigration policies, and pursues protectionist trade policies using tariffs as leverage.

Senator Sanders' ‘class identity’ holds that the US government should primarily serve the working class and the disadvantaged. Senator Sanders emphasizes the struggles and disadvantages of the ‘99%’ against the ‘1% income elite.’ He argues that while large US corporations, Wall Street financial powers, and multinational corporations have effectively ‘privileged’ the wealth accumulated through free trade since globalization, workers, young people, and impoverished immigrants are being sacrificed outside the social safety net. Therefore, Senator Sanders believes that America should be a country for these 99%, and that workers and the socially disadvantaged belonging to this 99% are the true owners of America. This class identity, with its clear division of ‘them’ and ‘us,’ openly displays a left-wing populist tendency.

Finally, Biden's ‘American values identity’ can be understood as a commitment to and adherence to the ‘American Creed,’ which America has consistently espoused since its independence, rather than being based on nationality or class. While the concepts of ‘nation’ and ‘class,’ which clearly distinguish ‘them’ from ‘us,’ can effectively expose the hypocrisy of pluralism and the stark reality of economic polarization, these identity criteria can amplify conflicts between different ethnic or racial groups in a multiethnic, multiracial nation like the US. Furthermore, in a country like the US, which has pursued market autonomy and free labor, they can stifle hope for intergenerational mobility and further fuel the rise of populism. In contrast, as a traditional New Deal liberal, Biden views commitment to the American value system—including freedom, equality, the rule of law, human rights, limited government, and market autonomy—as the basis of American identity, drawing from the Democratic Party's traditional platform since the New Deal, which emphasizes strengthening social cohesion and the role of the federal government.

From the perspective of President Trump's supporters, Biden appears to be someone who deliberately ignores the ‘essence’ of America as a ‘white nation.’ From the perspective of Sanders' supporters, Biden is seen as incompetent, unable to offer innovative solutions amidst economic polarization. Biden's campaign adheres to the traditional framework of New Deal liberalism and upholds America's traditional political values, making it neither provocative nor explosive—truly ‘traditional.’ Nevertheless, it seems well-suited to attract centrist voters and stabilize domestic and foreign relations, making them predictable.

Although it is a simplified categorization, this situation of three types of American identity discourses vying against each other represents the dynamics of the Democratic primaries and the subsequent general election. During the Trump administration, we have already witnessed an America unlike any seen before, with the provocative allure of national identity and a proportionate sense of impending crisis. Sanders' class identity, by representing the interests of white blue-collar workers, shares common ground with President Trump's stance and foreshadows the continuation of a 'Sanders-style America First' policy internationally. Biden's American values identity, while lacking distinctiveness and being unprovocative, can offer a sense of stability to those weary of President Trump's unpredictable style and the irresponsible, provocative logic of populism. If Biden wins the Democratic primaries, a key point to watch will be the extent to which he incorporates elements of his rival Sanders' class identity into his general election campaign. Ultimately, Americans will decide which of these three identities they will choose in November. For Korea, it would be prudent to analyze the power dynamics of each identity and prepare comprehensive countermeasures by considering all three collectively.

As the 2020 US presidential election race officially kicked off in March, it remains to be seen whether Biden will indeed face President Trump and if he can dismantle the 'national identity' and 'America First' policies that Trump champions. This has been 'EAI Audio Commentary' with Kim Seyoung. ■

This commentary is the first report in the EAI Special Report Series, [Future America 2030]: The Future of American Hegemony: Where is America Headed After Trump?published in December 2019. The Future America 2030 Special Report Series includes the following five reports.

1. Park, Byong Kwon: The Rise of White Nationalist Identity Politics and the Future of America[Read Report]

2. Lee, Soo Young: America's Demographic and Cultural Shifts and the Future of America[Read Report]

3. Min, Jeong Hoon: American Electoral Politics and the Future of America[Read Report]

4. Lee, Jong Gon: The US Executive Branch and Executive-Legislative Relations, and the Future of America[Read Report]

5. Jun, Jae Sung: The Status of US Foreign Policy under the Trump Administration and the Future of America[Read Report]

■ Author: Park, Byong Kwon—Professor of Political Science and International Relations at Chung-Ang University. He earned his Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Michigan. His primary research areas include US politics, US foreign policy, and comparative legislative and party politics. His recent works include *Is US Congressional Politics Still a Model of Democracy?: US Congress Captured by Party Politics* (2018) and “Understanding the Rise of American Nationalism in the Trump Era” (2017).

■ Responsible Editor: Kim Seyoung, EAI Research Fellow

문의: 02 2277 1683 (ext. 208) I sykim@eai.or.kr

'EAI Audio Commentary' is a content series designed to provide easier and more accessible access to in-depth analyses by experts on major domestic and international issues. Please cite the source when quoting. EAI is an independent research institution unaffiliated with any partisan interests. The claims and opinions presented in reports, journals, and books published by EAI are not attributable to EAI and represent solely the views of the respective authors.