A new culture war is breaking out in America. Unlike the culture wars of the recent past, this one isn’t about the place of Judeo-Christian values in our public life, the regulation of abortion, or the recognition of same-sex unions. Those conflicts are still with us. But they’ve been overshadowed by the fight over the future of American national identity in the face of rapid and accelerating demographic change. This new culture war will define the contest for the Republican presidential nomination in the months to come, as it has for the better part of the last year. And in all likelihood, it will shape our politics for decades to come.
The most visible manifestation of this new culture war has been the rise of Donald Trump. By focusing his candidacy almost entirely on immigration, the billionaire entertainer has energized millions of voters who love him as a bold truth-teller or damn him as a vicious and dangerous bigot. Trump’s recent, opportunistic discovery of an interest in illegal immigration is ironic, as Trump has been quite comfortable with the use of unauthorized immigrant labor on his various mega-projects.
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