Why the U.S. won’t see a "gilets jaunes" protest

The widespread popularity of the gilets jaunes directly correlates with the unpopularity of Macron’s government. His approval rating is low, but in no way unprecedented. French Presidents routinely face the scorn of two-thirds to three-quarters of the public, and the last one, Francois Hollande, set the record of being the first to drop below the twenty percent mark. Nicholas Sarkozy was far more popular, but most polls still had him hovering near 35 percent for much of his term.

U.S. Presidents simply do not have to contend with this, as deep tribalism between our two major parties almost guarantees a more even split. Absent abnormal circumstances, approval ratings customarily hover around the 50 percent mark. Even the current occupant of the White House, who can easily be described as polarizing, is now averaging around 44 percent. Trump is simply far more popular at home than Emmanuel Macron.

The way we chose our Commanders in Chief is fundamentally the difference. Elections have become contests where it is equally important to rally one’s fringe base as it is to appeal to middle-spectrum moderates.