This is a terrific article and is absolutely spot on about the degree of polarization and isolation that exists in America today. The division between left and right is wider than any other time I can recall. In fact, as the article states, so much so that we have bred someone like James Hodgkinson who decided that killing the opposition was the answer to this great divide. That's how crazy things have gotten.
However, I do not agree that President Trump, as the article claims, is the catalyst for this phenomenon of ideological division and increasing intolerance for the views of the opposing side. Au contraire, he is the result of it. A very motivated and pissed-off part of the American electorate and a very flawed and uninspiring democratic nominee (think about it....would Hillary have been the de facto choice for the nomination had she been a man???) that repressed voter participation gave Trump the surprising (to the media that is....I and many others had predicted that Trump would win beforehand) and overwhelming victory. Maybe not a mandate but damned close to it. A huge portion of the American people are absolutely fed up with the state of affairs inside the beltway and Trump's populist message definitely resonated with them.
I think there is plenty of responsibility to go around on both sides of the political spectrum that would explain how things got to the degree that they are at the present time. Those on the left use Trump as the reason for everything negative about the political climate in the US when the truth is that none of us can look in the mirror and say that we are not a part of the problem. It is really sad that we cannot even have a legitimate exchange of ideas, thoughts or concerns without it turning into a mud-slinging mosh pit of hatred and derision in short order. This forum is a perfect example of this trend. What's really troubling is that it doesn't appear that the situation is going to improve to any measurable degree anytime soon. In fact, it only seems to be getting more pronounced.
One of the things I like to do is use the double-play feature on my DirecTV DVR to watch the evening op-ed shows (they ARE NOT news shows by any definition) on MSNBC and Fox News simultaneously. Often one would think that the the networks are not even on the same planet, their viewpoints and stances on what issues are actually pertinent and what the resulting conclusions that can be drawn are really that far apart. Try it sometime....it is amazing. I think that a pretty good number of people only get their information from sources that tend to coincide with their established predisposed political beliefs. Instead of seeking knowledge they look for a source to validate their own biases. As a result, they aren't even aware of the reasoning of the opposing side. All they know is that they are right and the other side is wrong, case closed. Neither network (or a number of others) are helping to bridge the ideology gap. Quite the opposite, rather than blaming President Trump for exacerbating the polarized atmosphere the media should tend to their own glass houses instead.