Welcome to Trump’s America, The i Paper’s World Insight series presenting the sharpest, deepest thinking on an era-defining shift in history and politics, investigating how Donald Trump and his administration have changed the US and the world – and where we go from here.
• $120,000 should be a great salary. In these US states, it isn’t• Maga’s worst nightmare: a child-free, unmarried female president• The more America spends on healthcare, the sicker it gets
When visiting his wife’s Trump-supporting family, a healthcare worker who asked to be identified only as M has one basic rule: avoid politics at all costs.
The man, who lives in the Midwest and is in his forties, believes this is common across the country, especially during holidays such as Thanksgiving. For M, differing political beliefs has meant losing touch with four of his closest friends. “It seemed benign at first, but then Jan 6 happened and they were convinced the election was stolen,” he told The i Paper. “They were cheering on the insurrection and hoping the people arrested got pardoned.”
Experts say America has never been more divided, and worse, that it has lost the tools to cross the gulf and rebuild damaged friendships.
