Former Senator Rick Santorum said on Saturday that deep political divisions in the United States are unlikely to ease, arguing that ideological differences between conservatives and the left make compromise increasingly difficult.
Santorum characterized the current political climate as sharply polarized, with both sides holding fundamentally different visions for America.
“And the left isn’t going to tone it down,” he stated. “This is typical Marxism — this is what they do, and you won’t see a toning down.”
“You can’t come together if your vision for America is 180 degrees from the other people,” he added.
Santorum, a Republican who represented Pennsylvania in the Senate, said he believes the political left is driven by a desire to gain and maintain power. He alleged that tactics used in elections and redistricting reflect this goal.
“These are means to ends people. They’ll do whatever it takes to get power and to keep power,” Santorum continued.
“They cheat all the time, whether in elections or in redistricting or in a variety of other ways,” he said.
He also argued that rhetoric portraying President Donald Trump as a broad threat has contributed to heightened political tensions, suggesting such messaging influences how some voters respond.
“When you have a base told that he is a threat to them — not just to democracy, but to them personally — people are going to react in a very different way,” Santorum explained.
Santorum characterized the divide as rooted in fundamentally opposing ideologies, which he said limits potential for political reconciliation.
“You won’t see a toning down. You won’t see ‘oh, let’s come together,’” he repeated.
His comments come as political leaders from both parties have at times called for reduced rhetoric and greater unity, particularly following high-profile incidents and during periods of heightened national tension.
Santorum acknowledged that cooperation across party lines remains possible in some areas but said it does not require agreement on broader policy goals.
“We can get along,” he stated. “But that doesn’t necessarily mean you capitulate to what they want to do.”
