“Special correspondent” at the heart of the American election

On the occasion of the American election on the night of November 5 to 6, Anne-Sophie Lapix, Elise Lucet, Laurent Delahousse and Julien Arnaud accompany France 2 viewers during a major information evening, to experience this election and decipher the issues of this extraordinary election.

Elise Lucet and the reporters from “Envoyé Spécial” traveled to around twenty states to meet these Americans whose vote will influence the future of the world : in Virginia in Norfolk, the largest naval base in the world, symbol of the power of the planet's policeman, with Loïc de La Mornais, former correspondent for France Télévisions in the United States; in Alabama and North Carolina, meeting the middle class who embodies the American dream; at the Mexican border, where federal and local police are at odds over the management of migrants; in a corner of Oregon that dreams of secession; in Texas where black gold gives way to green energies…

Finally, an exceptional guest : the actor Robert De Niroone of the most fervent opponents of Donald Trump. The star gave a long interview to Elise Lucet in her restaurant.

In recent years, a new war of secession has emerged in the United States. Quietly, many Republican Americans have decided to leave their Democratic states, angered by policies they consider “woke”, to live in ultra-conservative states. “Special Envoy” visited Portland, Oregon, where the city center is emptying of residents and businesses.

Also meeting with these residents who wish to move the border between Oregon (Democrat) and Idaho (Republican) to no longer suffer from policies that they consider too progressive. Finally in Idaho, which has become one of the American states whose population has increased the most in recent years, the new inhabitants now live among themselves and are extremely suspicious of those who wish to come and settle.

A report by Julien Duponchel, Guillaume Beaufils and Adrien Mellot.

“Special Envoy” visited North Carolina among American middle-class families, a crucial category in every presidential election. This state, a true electoral barometer, oscillates from one election to another. In 2020, he leaned slightly in favor of Donald Trump. What will it be this year?

The middle class represents nearly 40% of the American population. Neither poor nor rich, these families are the bedrock of the economy, working hard to maintain a certain comfort and guarantee a better future for their children. With salaries that are a dream seen from France – average income at $59,500 per year, or around 4,500 euros gross per month – the reality is however more nuanced. Americans are facing galloping inflation and spending that is weighing heavily on their budgets.

A report by Violaine Vermot-Gaud, Swanny Thiébaut, Sarah Jung and Nathanaël Brun.

It is one of the most conservative states in the United States, a region where oil is king and yet Texas is also home to one of the largest wind farms in the world. In Roscoe, a small town of 1,200 inhabitants hit hard by the economic crisis, prosperity has returned thanks to wind turbines. Wes Williams, cotton farmer and fervent supporter of Donald Trump, earns between $80,000 and $100,000 a year from wind turbines installed on his land.

The whole city has turned to green energy, but not really for ecological reasons. “Wind is money,” summarize the residents. During the Wind Festival, a local event, Americans celebrate this green energy in a paradoxical way: with a race of ultra-polluting 4 x 4s in the mud.

A report by Lila Bellili, Mathieu Niewenglowski and Vincent Gobert.

An uninterrupted deluge of fire on an Arizona hillside. Heavy machine guns, rocket launchers, assault tanks in the hands of civilians: organized every year, the Big Sandy Shoot is the largest festival of weapons of war on the planet. An American passion for firearms but also, according to their defenders, the assurance that no one will ever dare to invade the United States.

A report by Loïc de La Mornais and Michel Leray.

Just a few years ago, Rich Logis was, according to his own words, one of Donald Trump's most fervent supporters. His job, his friends, his discussions, his entire life was dedicated to MAGA worship, “Make America Great Again”. Here he is today at the head of the “Republicans for Harris” in Florida. On Donald Trump's own land.

“Special Envoy” followed his campaign and discovered his story, because he is not the only one in the country to have switched to the other side. There would be thousands of them who doubt or are ready to change sides. These repentants are undoubtedly one of the keys to these elections, those that the Democrats hope to seduce to tip the “swing states”, these pivotal states which could be decisive for the outcome of the elections. And for the first time, a whole strategy is put in place by the Harris camp to recover them.

A report by Sophie Przychodny and Harold Grenouilleau / Babel Press.

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