Our polarized politics are on display every day, and that was especially the case in 2019.
According to Gallup we had an 82 point gap between the approval ratings that Republicans and Democrats gave to the President. Political scientist Jim Henson U-T says it's the continuation of a trend going back decades.
"We've been seeing by almost all measures, polarization between the parties increasing since the 70's," Henson said.
Henson says there are a lot of factors playing in. Watergate was a factor. President Trump himself is a factor. So is the mainstream media.
"Media is contributing to this given the development of more partisan news outlets, where people can watch their own news," Henson explained.
Gallup says the ten most polarized years have taken place during the Bush 43, Obama, and Trump presidencies. Henson adds that you shouldn't expect this to reverse course any time soon.
"The trend is only going in one direction right now, and there probably is no single solution," Henson stated.