It's a massive, undeniable victory, and this time the losers didn't rush to cry wolf. Last Tuesday, by winning the majority of states and some four million more votes than his Democratic opponent, Donald Trump achieved the most resounding comeback in American political history. Under its influence, the Republican Party will take control of the Senate and will undoubtedly continue to dominate the House of Representatives, even if a few seats are still pending. It is therefore the one who, four years ago, had denied his defeat, launched his supporters to attack the Capitol and promised revenge, the one whom several current indictments seemed rather destined for the prison box, it is well this 78-year-old man who, next January, will become the 47th president of the United States and will once again swear to protect the Constitution.
What the vote tells us about the divisions in American society
For all those who love this country, its energy, its culture at the risk of idealizing it, those who know its political history, this last electoral campaign will have been trying, with its multiple upheavals, two assassination attempts, the withdrawal of a Biden at the end of his strength, the late entry into the running of a vice-president who had not made an impression, the contrast between this black woman, lawyer, former prosecutor, and the macho billionaire denouncing those he calls the enemies from within, this verbal violence, this vulgarity, the massive disinformation on social networks, the anxiety at the idea of a new civil war in this fractured and gun-filled society – and finally this red wave which reveals to what extent purchasing power and immigration have swept away all other considerations in the minds of Americans. The financial markets have soared, the business community is exulting. It is only in Europe where consternation and concern are expressed in broad daylight – it was enough to observe the heads of state and government gathered until yesterday at a summit in Budapest. How to explain Trump's triumph? What does it reveal about the real divisions in American society? The democratic process worked without a hitch. At the start of a second term, who will be part of the new team, what will be the counter-powers? What should we expect from Donald Trump season 2?
Our guests:
Anne Deysine published Judges Against America: The Radical Right's Capture of the Supreme Court (Paris Nanterre University Press, October 16, 2024);
Laurence Nardon is producer of the podcast New Deal (available on all podcast platforms) She recently published Geopolitics of American power: what role for the United States in the world? (PUF, August 2024);
Gérard Araud notably published Israel: the trap of history (Tallandier, March 2024);
Lauric Henneton published with Julien Grossot Rock'n'road trip: the United States in 1,000 songs from Alabama to Wyoming (afterword Georges Lang, Hors Collection / RTL, 2023). He also signed the preface to Taylor Swift: the story of a phenomenon: biography by Caroline Sullivan, published in September 2024 by Hors Collection (translation by Laura Vaz).
