It has been 18 months since US President Donald Trump took office. Some say he is doing more to divide the country than to unite it, yet others disapprove.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll released in July shows stark differences between political parties on issues from immigration to trade tariffs. Even approval of the president is deeply divided by ideology.

Eleanor Clift, a political analyst for the Daily Beast, is one of those who are feeling bitterly split. She said the ability of President Trump to impose his brand on Congress, the Republican Party, and the Supreme Court has made people question whether the democracy is threatened.

“I think the level of acrimony in this country and the divisions are extraordinary,” Clift said. “In my lifetime, I would say it hasn’t been as divided as we see today since 1968 when we had the population against the war, and you had assassinations going on.”

Although the president received much praise for setting a historic summit with DPRK leader Kim Jong Un, his policies such as international tariffs and border controls, have drawn criticism both at home and abroad. Clift added that the consequences are for everyone. For example, the biggest victim of the latest wave of tariffs and counter tariffs that are being imposed might end up being Trump voters in the heartland.

However, Trump supporters remain unfazed by such warnings, refusing to give an inch. Chris Buskirk, a conservative radio host, and publisher of the website American Greatness said the division is a normal thing when it comes to politics. He believed that Trump’s policies would protect the interest of Americans, and eventually lead the country towards a better future.

“I heard him talking about America and American citizenship in a way that I had not heard for 30 years,” Buskirk said. “This is a lightbulb moment for me. This is the president who’s going to change the status quo in the Republican Party for sure and hopefully in the country, and try and restore the republicanism that is the foundation of our liberty and the republic itself.”

President Trump has delivered on his campaign promises in a lot of areas for his base, but that comes at a cost. Hilary Shelton, the director of the NAACP’s Washington, DC bureau, said the African-American community and other racial minority communities have been suffering from the president’s decisions to undercut some of the progress made by the previous administration.

“We are seeing an administration now actually wants to go back to those days in which 47 million people had no health care,” Shelton said. “And signals have been sent to police officers that they don’t have to worry about being concerned of shooting unarmed African-Americans. There are a number of things that he’s rolling back on, not recognizing the unique nature of the very diverse communities throughout our country.”

Both sides have been trying hard to look for common ground, but Clift said she failed to see any. The Democrats now are too powerless to make changes, and there are disputes even within the Republican Party.

“I think immigration is one area where there should be some common ground, but the Republicans can’t agree among themselves,” Clift said. “When you have 3.9 percent unemployment, you can’t argue that these people are coming to take our jobs, so the president has really scapegoated immigrants in a really ugly way. I think that’s going to be a stain on this country for a long time to come.”

However, Buskirk argued that the immigration issue is one of the things that resonate most strongly with the Republican base, but also with a segment of the Democrat base.

“When you are importing millions of unskilled laborers that undermine the economic safety and the economic security of the most vulnerable citizens of this country, it is the president’s job to try and protect the interests of those people, and that’s what he’s doing,” Buskirk said.

It is hard for both sides to reach an agreement, and nobody wants to make compromises. The upcoming midterm elections are wildly seen as a referendum on Trump. Whether he would get the thumbs up or not on his first two years in office remains to be seen. Gordon Gray, director of fiscal policy at the conservative think tank, the American Action Forum, said changes are happening all the time.

“Viewed from the narrowest possible lens with respect to economic policy, any objective look at the economy right now would have to be a favorable one,” Gray said. “However, I am very concerned about the trade policies and immigration policies that could very well reverse any potential gains from the tax policies and the deregulatory approach.”

The Heat with Anand Naidoo is a 30-minute political talk show on CGTN. It airs weekdays at 7:00 a.m. BJT and 7:00 p.m. Eastern time in the United States.