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The political and cultural landscape has become a minefield of conflicting beliefs, many now rooted less in public policy than in personal identity.

One of James Madison’s central concerns in drafting the Constitution was the danger posed by “factions”—political, economic or ideological groups so driven by shared passions that they might place their own power above the rights of others and the common good.

We’re living through Madison’s warning today.

Identity politics is not confined to the political left. The Trump movement has developed its own powerful form, built around cultural grievance, nationalism, political loyalty, exclusion… You name it.

At its core is a belief about who represents the “real” America—and who does not.

Trump’s core supporters have formed an identity around patriotism, cultural resentment, distrust of government institutions, and the belief that traditional America has been taken from them. Trump is no longer simply a political leader, he has become part of how they see themselves. An attack on him is perceived as an attack on everyone who voted for him.

Trump recognizes this relationship and uses it effectively:

“In the end, they’re not after me, they’re after you, and I’m just standing in their way.”

That emotional bond can outweigh any individual policy position. It helps explain why many supporters remain loyal even when Trump’s conduct conflicts with the values Republicans once embraced: fiscal responsibility, personal accountability, respect for the rule of law, and the separation of powers.

While criticizing America’s NATO allies over the war with Iran, Trump made his go-to expectation clear: “I just want loyalty.”

The same expectation governs his relationship with members of his party. After four Republican senators supported a resolution questioning his authority to continue military action without congressional approval, Trump confronted them.

Senator Bill Cassidy explained: “I felt like I was trying to get answers for the American people, and I am not going to be bullied when I am trying to get answers for the American people.”

Good, Bill. I wish there were more like you.

There is an ethical difference between loyalty and obedience. Loyalty does not require surrendering independent judgment. A senator’s first responsibility is not to a president or party, but to the Constitution and the citizens who elected that senator. Asking a president to explain a war involving American lives and constitutional authority is not betrayal. It is part of the job.

Trump also supported primary challengers against seven Republican state senators in Indiana who opposed a redistricting plan he wanted. They were Republicans who said they had acted in the best interests of their districts. Five lost their primaries to Trump-backed challengers. An elected official’s first loyalty should be to the Constitution, the country and the people represented, not to one political leader.

Asking questions is not disloyalty. Congress is a separate and coequal branch, not an extension of presidential authority.

The ethical problem begins when loyalty becomes more important than consistency and support for one person or party overrides principle.

This does not mean Trump’s most committed supporters have no legitimate concerns. Many are genuinely worried about immigration, inflation, crime, government spending and cultural change. Those concerns deserve to be addressed, not dismissed.

And democrats are not immune from political identity. Some dismissed concerns about President Biden’s age as partisan attacks until they became impossible to ignore. The ethical standard must remain the same, regardless of party.

The danger before us is allowing politics to determine our ethical judgment rather than allowing ethical judgment to guide our politics.

Until Americans place ethical values above political identity, the divisions in this country will continue to deepen. Members of Congress, on both sides, understand this. They have a moral duty to make decisions based not on what serves themselves or their parties, but on what serves the country as a whole.