Whether it is the inability of the outgoing American administration to curb inflation, or immigration figures at record levels, many are still looking today for the reasons for yesterday's unexpected triumph of Donald Trump, a real existential catastrophe for the Democratic camp for whom, moreover, the time for self-criticism has clearly still not come. Yesterday in Washington, where she hoped to address a cheering crowd less than twenty-four hours earlier, it was in front of faces where one could read above all despondency and bitterness that Kamala Harris admitted her defeat without appeal , while urging his supporters to remain mobilized. And then today, an exercise which we can imagine how painful it will necessarily be for Joe Biden, now accused of having, out of pride, facilitated the resounding return of Donald Trump, the current president, more weakened than ever, will address the Americans, to prepare the transition with his worst political enemy.
Still, faced with this return to favor by Donald Trump, it now seems certain that the argument of defending democracy put forward by the progressives will not have convinced the Americans. For some, moreover, that wasn't even a question. This is particularly the case for all traders and other workers in the sector. Since yesterday, the mood has been celebratory on all financial markets. Wall Street has reached record levels.
However, even if the main stock markets are still benefiting from investors' enthusiasm this morning, there is still a risk that the Republican's program, if implemented, will weigh on the global economy. By taking the reins of the most powerful state in the world, everything suggests that Donald Trump will be even more extreme towards his ideological and political enemies during this second term than during the first. And in this sense, Donald Trump's victory opens a new era of uncertainty in the world. Will the United States withdraw from the global climate agreement again? Will the Israeli government feel encouraged to expand the war into the Middle East? Should Europe be worried about aid to Ukraine? And then, should China (second world power) prepare for a tougher trade conflict?
In any case, and faced with the return of the unpredictable Donald Trump to the White House, around fifty heads of state and government have met in Budapest today, for a summit of the European political community. With the hope of displaying a relatively united front. Aware, at the very least, that their disagreements would be so many breaches into which the Republican billionaire will not fail to rush. Several issues shaken up by this re-election are planned on the agenda.
Editorial guest: Sylvain Kahn, Europeanist researcher at the Sciences Po History Center.
Other news headlines
By dismissing yesterday his Minister of Finance and also president of the liberal party, Olaf Scholz not only marked the divorce within the tripartite government coalition in power in Germany, but also caused a real political earthquake. In the process, in fact, all the liberal ministers (with the exception of the one in charge of Transport) slammed the door of the government, thus depriving the chancellor of a majority in the Chamber of Deputies.
Now the elected representatives of the Bundestag should be called on January 15 to decide on the holding of early elections, before the date scheduled for next fall. Except that this morning, Sebastien, the conservative opposition urged the social democratic chancellor to submit to a vote of confidence in parliament no later than “next week”.
Errors of assessment? Or responsibilities assumed? Since this morning the Senate has been trying to understand the reasons for the explosion of the public deficit in France. With the objective of purging the abscess ahead of the examination of the 2025 draft budget. And for this the Finance Committee of the upper house has been hearing the former Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire since this morning. This afternoon it will be the turn of the former Minister of Public Accounts Thomas Cazenave. Before former Prime Minister Gabriel Attal tomorrow. And a little later still his predecessor, Elisabeth Borne.
The objective is therefore to help us understand what happened. And to establish everyone’s responsibilities. Clearly the whole question is whether or not the government had internal Treasury notes which predicted a clearer slippage than expected. However, this morning Bruno Le Maire once again refuted any “cover-up” or “deception”.
November 5, 2018 was the start of the school year in Marseille. And at precisely 9:07 a.m., at numbers 63 and 65 rue d'Aubagne, a few hundred meters from the Old Port, two unsanitary buildings literally collapsed in just a few seconds, killing 8 people. 6 years later, the trial of the presumed responsibilities for this tragedy opens today at the Marseille judicial court. An extraordinary trial scheduled to last 6 weeks. A trial awaited by an entire city, where it will of course be a question of degraded and unworthy housing, but also of an accumulation of administrative and political dysfunctions. So a total of 16 defendants will be tried, most of them for injuries and manslaughter. Among them a social landlord, but also a former deputy mayor of the city. As for the relatives of the victims and survivors, they are waiting for justice to name those responsible.
