Editorial
Stern editor-in-chief
Gregor Peter Schmitz on the current star: “Trump 2 could tear America apart”
What else can stop Trump now? This is the current question star after
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Editor-in-chief Gregor Peter Schmitz looks at the current star-Edition dates back to his time in the USA. And he dares to look into the future: what another term in office for Donald Trump would mean.
These days, as we see images of the US primary election campaign, I have to think of a seminar at an American university many years ago. It was about the idea of America, and it sounded very nice. We read about the “right to be happy,” or more precisely “Pursuit of happiness,” which sounds even happier. Just like the sentence about “The shining city upon a hill” meant, of course: America. Of course, the words were also said that you shouldn’t ask what the country can do for you, but rather what you yourself can do for your country.
Looking back, what amazes me most is how seriously and happily this seminar went. Nobody made a cynical comment. Of course, the weaknesses of any American nostalgia were obvious even back then. America’s founding fathers wanted to guarantee rights for everyone except those who were a woman or a slave. America almost collapsed over race; it has done a lot of good in the world, but also a lot of bad. It is so incredibly rich – and at the same time so incredibly poor. His presidential primaries are popular celebrations of grassroots democracy. However, as a rule only candidates who bring enough dollar bills can celebrate. Yet there was so much hidden behind this idea called America. The institutions, the courageous media, the proud courts. America didn’t have a lot of hard power, military and money, but also very soft power: its music, its films, its universities. Didn’t we come there from all over the world?
Farewell to the American Dream
Today, America is still thriving, perhaps more so than ever. Its economy is booming and it has mastered future technologies. But his society is bankrupt, his institutions are in disarray. There are people in Congress who have been attacked by Trump supporters and who still continue to say that Donald Trump is the best president. The Supreme Court is judged by men and women who were appointed for life by Trump. Maybe they’ll put him back in office because then they can continue to ban abortion and allow guns. In many editorial offices, employees do not wait for news, but rather to create fake news. “America first” has become the most important, selfish export hit. And the universities? The argument rages over who can say what and how.
Not all of this is Donald Trump’s fault. But it acted like an accelerant for four years. If he makes it back to the White House and doesn’t stop him in court or, in the end, the tired Joe Biden, he will be equipped with a flamethrower. The country barely survived its first presidency because in the end some people said “no” to Trump when he rehearsed the coup. Why would this happen to him again? He has realized that there are no boundaries for him – and he will only surround himself with the most loyal of the loyal.
It quickly seems silly if we try to tell Americans how to vote. But we should take a closer look, for example in the new one star-Newsletter from our foreign department on the US election, which you here can subscribe. Because Trump 2 could tear America apart – and the rest of the world with it. His desire for revenge will hardly stop at his own national borders. Trump wants to all but give up on climate protection within 24 hours. He probably wants to get out of NATO, also because he (not entirely wrongly) considers the Germans to be free riders. We are not prepared for this – which paralyzes us. We sense an acute risk of infection, just as we are now arguing and insulting each other in this country. It’s similar with Trump and the AfD: Nobody can say they didn’t know what these people were up to. It’s not just those who fight against democracy that are dangerous. All those who do not fight for democracy are also dangerous.