America is in its anti-hero era — and it's changing who we elect

Miami Herald

3 days ago

When I first got into politics, one of the first things I was told was, 'Don't meet your heroes.' The implication was clear: Our heroes are only human — even in politics.
But today, the problem isn't that our heroes will disappoint us. It's that they're missing altogether. Instead, we have the anti-hero, fueled by negative partisanship.
The shift isn't just political — it's cultural. On television, we have found ourselves cheering for Italian mob boss Tony Soprano and outlaw biker Jax Teller on Sons of Anarchy. In the movies, Elphaba, the main character in Wicked, changes our perception of her as the Wicked Witch of the West in the Wizard of Oz. In Batman, we sympathize with the Joker.
The lines between good and evil, right and wrong, have blurred — and we're told that's the point.
There was a time when moral clarity was a virtue — when Mr. Smith went to Washington, Atticus Finch stood for justice and being a public servant meant working toward the greater good. Those are examples drawn from fiction but the sentiment was real. These days, in 2025, I'm pretty sure Mr. Smith wouldn't make it out of his hometown.
Americans are increasingly drawn to the rule-breaker, the disruptor and the candidate who fights, no matter the cost. America is in its anti-hero era — and that's dangerous for our national character.
The transformation is happening on both sides of the aisle. But the most visible representation of this is the rise of president Donald Trump.
He has embodied the anti-hero archetype — flawed, combative and unrelenting. He has broken political norms and actively worked to dismantle institutions. He has called for punishment of perceived political foes and promised to 'drain the swamp.' Many voters see him as imperfect but fighting for them.
Trump cast himself as a victim of the system, giving millions of Americans, who felt betrayed by elites, someone to identify with. His vulgarity and defiance of political norms became credentials supporters hold up as virtues.
On the other side of the political spectrum, a figure with some parallels has emerged in New York City — Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani. A democratic socialist, Mamdani also questions foundational institutions — he supports freezing rents on nearly 50% of apartments in NYC and having city-run grocery stores. To his supporters, he is a revolutionary voice. To his critics, he is a provocateur more interested in free bus rides than governance.
While Trump and Mamdani occupy opposite ends of the political spectrum, they're using the same anti-hero playbook: reject the establishment, defy norms and rally the base through outrage. And it's working. Trump is serving a second term and Mamdani has the Democratic establishment worried he may very well become the next mayor of New York City.
But winning isn't the same as governing.
If we win by abandoning the virtues that once defined public service — humility, personal responsibility, respect for constitutional limits — what exactly are we winning?
For conservatives, this moment feels like having dental work without novacaine. It's painful.
The cornerstone of conservatism has long been moral clarity. The peril of embracing the anti-hero is that we may be responding to performance rather than principle.
In pop culture, anti-heroes entertain us — they're charismatic and charming, and we root for them to prevail. But in politics, the prevalence of anti-heroes reflects something darker — a nation that cheers for the demise of the other side, instead of for the preservation of democratic ideals.
I'm not saying we need to elect saints, but democracy requires stewards — leaders who who seek to unite rather than divide and who put country over party.
America doesn't need perfect heroes. But we do need to want them again. Because in real life — unlike the movies — the anti-hero doesn't save the day, they burn it down.
Mary Anna Mancuso is a member of the Miami Herald Editorial Board. Her email: [e-mail]