Lack of intellectualism in the American political discourse is a common refrain even among the American left, not to mention the rest of the world, after becoming the laughing stock of the world during the Trump era. Of course this does not mean that American soft power was decreasing, Tyler Cowen (the right-leaning writer at Marginal Revolution) would argue exactly the opposite, but still, intellectualism being relegated to the sidelines and niche communities is a serious concern.

[1] https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2021-09-19/woke-m...