【Article by College of Social Sciences】

On October 27, 2025, Prof. Christopher H. Achen of Princeton University visited the NCCU College of Social Sciences and gave a talk titled “Why Do Americans Vote for Trump? Polarization and Realignment in Recent American Elections,” a part of Social-Sciences-plus lecture series, at the International Conference Hall. More than 140 attendees joined the event, including faculty, students, alumni, and practitioners. The talk, cohosted by Political-Science-Outstanding 100 Project, was moderated by Prof. Yang Wan-ying, Dean of the College of Social Sciences at NCCU.

Prof. Achen, Professor Emeritus of both Social Sciences and Politics, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, was the first president of the Political Methodology Section of the American Political Science Association. Prof. Achen is one of the most influential scholars in contemporary American political science, widely recognized for his contributions to political methodology and empirical democratic theory. A prolific author, his award-winning 2016 book Democracy for Realists—which received two major international prizes—embodies his long-standing intellectual concern: rather than asking how democracy is supposed to work in theory, Prof. Achen investigates how democracy actually functions in practice, especially in the context of electoral behavior and the realities of voter decision-making. Among the achievements he values most in his career are his lifetime mentoring awards from both the University of Michigan and Princeton University, recognizing his outstanding dedication to graduate supervision and scholarly contribution. Many of his former students now hold faculty positions at leading universities across Europe, North America, and Asia. In her introduction, Dean Yang expressed that the College is greatly honored to appoint Prof. Achen as an Adjunct Chair Professor starting from the 2026–27 academic year. She noted that his profound academic expertise and extensive teaching experience will play a vital role in helping NCCU cultivate internationally minded and outstanding young scholars.

The rise of U.S. President Donald Trump is one of the most remarkable stories in modern democratic politics. Contrary to popular belief, Prof. Achen argued that the American electorate has not undergone radical ideological change. White voters’ dismissive attitudes toward foreign engagement and racial equality have remained stable for decades, and most voters still cast their ballots largely along partisan lines, and for the others, election shifts are due to short-term forces. The real difference lies in voter perception caused by “diploma divide”—particularly economic pain and cultural anxiety among less-educated white voters. Rising living costs, stagnant wages, and resentment toward elites have provided fertile ground for this realignment. Moreover, less-educated people tend to exhibit stronger white identity, leading them to vote based on prejudice against minorities and immigrants. So, who votes for Trump? According to Prof. Achen, the answer is traditional Republicans plus white-identity voters.

The talk concluded with a warning that resonated beyond the United States. True democracy, as Prof. Achen emphasized, requires balance between elite judgment and popular will. Any system that empowers only one side, he warned, will become corrupted and collapse under its own arrogance. The key insight of democracy is that elites are not always right. The key insight of autocracy is that ordinary people are not always right. The wisdom of the American founders lay in balancing the two. Finally, Prof. Achen noted that until we find that balance, there will be far too many Xi Jin-pings and far too many Donald Trumps.

During the Q&A session, Dean Yang began by introducing the attending faculty members and inviting students to ask the first questions. Participants—including NCCU students and an external filmmaker—raised a range of thought-provoking issues, such as voting behavior among different ethnic groups, the problem of political polarization and retaliatory dynamics, and the influence of campaign financing on electoral competition. When asked about the impact of globalization on political polarization, Prof. Achen emphasized that the roots of the anti-globalization wave are highly complex and cannot be explained solely by economic hardship; issues of identity have become increasingly central in shaping contemporary politics. When asked about the voting behavior of Chinese Americans, Prof. Achen noted that while relevant data remain limited, there has been a general increase in support for Trump across most states and ethnic groups. He added that Asian American voters, including those of Chinese descent, have also shown a noticeable upward trend in their support for Trump.

The discussion also highlighted historical and ongoing patterns of immigration and integration in America, noting that many groups who once faced discrimination as immigrants later developed anti-immigrant attitudes themselves. For instance, some Hispanic American citizens (who traditionally leaned toward the Democratic Party) working in border patrols reportedly developed negative attitudes toward Mexican immigrants and support Trump. A similar pattern can be observed among White Americans—for example, Irish immigrants once discriminated against by English Americans later became anti-immigration after assimilating as Irish Americans.

The conversation further touched on contemporary political polarization in both the U.S. and globally, suggesting that while current divisions may seem severe, history shows that societies can recover from such rifts. The role of elites in upholding democratic values was underscored, accompanied by a call for leaders to act responsibly in reducing polarization. Finally, the discussion emphasized the importance of transcending political divides and cultivating a sense of duty among scholars and public leaders.