USA Today

The shock election of Donald Trump has forced a period of reeling and reckoning in the United States. How have the failures of previous administrations led to the election of such an unorthodox candidate? And how will Trump’s exploitation of scapegoats – both inside America and outside – play out now he’s actually in office?

In the first Fifth Estate discussion of 2017, Sally Warhaft hosts two heavy-hitting American experts. Thomas Frank is the author of Listen, Liberal, a blistering appraisal of recent Democratic administrations and a liberal professional class seemingly indifferent to widening income inequality. Cynthia P. Schneider is a foreign policy expert at the highly respected Brookings Institution in Washington and an active, eloquent advocate of ‘soft power’ and cultural diplomacy, especially with the Muslim world.

The pair explore a wide range of questions around America’s recent past, present and future, and provide a unique perspective from the inside. How might Trump work to serve the interests of those who voted for him in protest against the establishment? And how are his efforts likely to affect those well beyond American borders?

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