Kristina Becvar is the Chief Operating Officer of the Bridge Alliance.
“It’s not a democracy.”
The above provocative statement was the first comment made on a social media post Monday sharing this week’s Fulcrum post on Juneteenth and the intersection of art, politics, and American identity. The comment accomplished exactly what it was intended to do - completely ignoring the content of the article, a nuanced discussion of how art and politics reflect each other, and instead making a declarative statement that is divisive enough to make people think twice about engaging and effectively preventing conversation. That’s the power of the words we choose to use when discussing American politics, and social media has been an incubator for people to learn how to employ the red herring tactic of diverting attention from the real issue by focusing instead on a subject that has only a vague relevance, if any relevance at all, to the real issue. This technique allows the perpetrator to feel as if they “won” something in a discussion without having to get curious or engage in thoughtful deliberation.
Is the United States a democracy? Absolutely. Is it also a republic? Yes to that too. Our society is being conditioned to view those complementary concepts as opposing forces, the false dichotomy fueling tribalism and diverting attention from critical issues. Debating word choice in this manner is a tactic being spread by anti-democratic folks to shore up opposition to voting rights, voter access reforms, casting a shadow on movements that aim to strengthen democracy. Recognizing that a republic is a representative democracy, we must not let word choice distract us from the fundamental question: Does America truly function as a healthy representative democracy? A candid assessment reveals that there is work to be done. So how do we move past the playbook of using divisive words and tactics to derail discussions on how to make America live up to the best version of ourselves?
To navigate these challenges, we can draw inspiration from successful strategies implemented by democracies worldwide. The Election Reformers Network and the Alliance for Securing Democracy have recently released a report showcasing innovative approaches that can combat polarization and mistrust within democratic systems. By embracing these innovative ideas and adapting them to our unique context, we can forge a more inclusive and participatory society.
One of the pillars of work among many Bridge Alliance members is that of finding unity within divided communities, and we recognize that unity is often best achieved through local, community-based connections. Recognizing the significance of civic literacy, we acknowledge that quality discourse and informed citizens are essential for countering simplistic talking points and inflammatory rhetoric. By equipping ourselves with civic knowledge, we can strengthen the very foundations of our country. Our collective efforts can help us move beyond being pulled into the linguistic trenches and toward creating a future where America lives up to its fullest potential.
So, let us remain engaged and curious as we strive towards a stronger republic. By fostering unity, embracing innovation, and pursuing civic knowledge, we can build a more robust democracy that reflects the ideals upon which our nation was founded.
A view of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on June 25, 2026. President Donald Trump jolted Republicans during a fiery appearance at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, scrapping a housing bill signing ceremony and clashing behind closed doors with a party rebel who challenged him over the Iran war. Trump had been expected to sign the bipartisan housing.
Only Trump doesn’t care about housing
It was August 15, 2024. Then candidate Donald Trump stepped out of his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club’s columned clubhouse to a gaggle of reporters. He was flanked by tables of groceries and signs showing the rising cost of food. Also on one of the tables was a dollhouse, meant to represent the equally alarming rise in housing prices.
It was a speech about the economy, the single most important issue of the 2024 election cycle, full of promises that went right to the heart of Americans’ anxieties. While former President Joe Biden and then Vice President Kamala Harris were contorting themselves to posture a good economy that just needed more time to recover from the pandemic, Trump was preying on voters’ very real fears of unaffordable gas, groceries, and homes. It was obviously a winning message.
In that speech, Trump promised, “We’re going to open up tracts of federal land for housing construction. We desperately need housing for people who can’t afford what’s going on now.”
As of mid-2023, there had been a housing shortage of nearly four million homes, according to the National Association of Realtors. Americans all over the country were either priced out of buying new homes due to low inventory, trapped in their existing homes by sky-high mortgage rates, or facing exorbitant rent hikes thanks to corporate investors buying up rental properties. Americans needed help, and Trump promised it.
Cut to March of 2026, when Trump reportedly told House Speaker Mike Johnson, “No one gives a sh*t about housing.”
That kind of thinking may explain why Trump this week suddenly announced he was canceling a signing ceremony for the bipartisan “21st Century ROAD to Housing Act,” a housing bill co-sponsored by Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Tim Scott that passed the House 358-32 and was approved in the Senate on Monday.
Trump instead demanded Congress pass the SAVE America Act, his controversial election grievance bill that doesn’t have enough Republican support to get passed in the Senate.
It’s just the latest in a line of policy self-owns where Trump has seemingly intentionally made life more difficult for Republicans hoping to keep their majority. Despite midterm elections occurring in the midst of a blistering economy and an unpopular war, they were surely hoping the housing bill would give them something — anything — to brag about when they returned home to their districts.
And very much to the contrary, Americans do give a sh*t about housing. According to a recent survey by the Bipartisan Policy Center, a whopping 79% say the cost of housing is extremely or very important to them. Eighty-three percent say Congress should take action on the issue — like it just did. Eighty-nine percent say the House and Senate need to work together to pass affordable housing legislation — like they just did. And 63% say they would be more likely to vote for a lawmaker if they helped pass legislation to build more affordable homes and lower housing costs — like they just did.
There aren’t many issues that unite Americans like housing does, and very few bipartisan policy wins Congress can point to, and yet, Trump is holding that bill hostage in order to get his pet project — which doesn’t even have the support of his own party — pushed through.
If you’re trying to make sense of something so nonsensical, as I’m sure many Republican lawmakers are, it’s certainly sad but not actually all that complicated. Trump said what he needed to get reelected and then promptly abandoned his promises in order to pursue his own self-interests, even if those interests are bad for Republicans and bad for voters.
That’s just the kind of guy he is.
S.E. Cupp is the host of "S.E. Cupp Unfiltered" on CNN.