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Donald Trump: ability to intimidate people immensely
Photo: NICHOLAS KAMM / AFP
SPIEGEL:
Mr. Snyder, can the new President Joe Biden ensure that the United States can leave the Donald Trump era behind like a bad dream?
Snyder:
I'm afraid no.
Trump was an exceptional figure because he possesses talent that no other Republican politician has.
But he also became president because America has been suffering from deeper problems for a long time, and they won't go away anytime soon.
SPIEGEL:
What exactly do you mean by that?
Snyder:
Trump declared - and I suspect rightly so - that the American Dream no longer exists.
Many people no longer believe that social advancement is possible.
Trump also managed to convince voters that migrants and immigrants are responsible for the lack of opportunities for advancement.
He fueled a racism that the US has suffered from for a long time.
Finally, there is a problem in the United States that Europeans should be aware of because it is theirs too.
The Trump presidency was the result of a media world in which facts are dissolving: His rise shows where it leads when serious journalism - especially at the local level - perishes and is replaced by social media.
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