The division in society can also be felt in Ingo Zamperoni’s American family: his father-in-law elected Donald Trump, his mother-in-law Joe Biden. Still, everyone was relieved that the inauguration was peaceful.
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Today’s topic moderator Ingo Zamperoni knows the USA very well: he studied there, was a correspondent in Washington for years and is married to an American. His father-in-law elected Donald Trump, his mother-in-law Biden. How’s his family doing after Joe Biden’s inauguration as the new US President?
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After the election, his father-in-law finished with the decision, says Ingo Zamperoni. Now he wants to wait and see what will change with the new government under Joe Biden.
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“My father-in-law is okay with the fact that Joe Biden is now president.”
Ingo Zamperoni’s father-in-law elected Donald Trump
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However, the father-in-law is concerned that a shift to the left could take place and that the country will change in a way that he does not like, says the moderator of the day. Because the Democrats have a majority in the House of Representatives and the Senate and can enforce their policies.
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Mortgage the election lie
The fact that a new president is elected every four years is nothing for Ingo Zamperoni’s father-in-law that he would question. Donald Trump did that by not recognizing the election. “That also worked with my father-in-law. He still thinks that not everything turned out right. That is the mortgage that has remained.”
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“My father-in-law still thinks that not everything came out rightly in the election. That is the mortgage that has remained.”
Ingo Zamperoni’s father-in-law elected Donald Trump
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The problem for his father-in-law, as for many Republican voters or people who voted Trump, is that politics will now fundamentally realign itself, says the former Washington correspondent. However, his American family recognized that Joe Biden now wants the country to be one, and his father-in-law would keep his fingers crossed for the new US president.
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“You can send a message of reconciliation, but on the other hand it has to be accepted.”
Ingo Zamperoni on the inaugural speech of the new US President
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It is unclear whether Trump voters will accept this outstretched hand of Joe Biden, says Ingo Zamperoni. The mere fact that the US president offers reconciliation is not enough to lift the polarization in the country.
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“For my father-in-law, the storm on the Capitol was a line that was crossed. In his eyes, that is not possible.”
Ingo Zamperoni’s father-in-law elected Donald Trump
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Ingo Zamperoni’s father-in-law was mostly behind Donald Trump, regardless of what the former US president did in the past four years of his term in office. But with regard to the storm on the Capitol on January 6, he too distanced himself from Trump’s course.
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Social division runs through family
His mother-in-law was completely different: she chose Joe Biden. They very much welcome the fact that the new US president is adopting a completely different tone than the old one. She especially found the address, the dignity and his credibility as beneficial. However, Ingo Zamperoni thinks that Joe Biden now has to fill in these words so that he can convince Trump voters.
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“She was incredibly relieved when this inauguration went off peacefully.”
Ingo Zamperoni’s mother-in-law, on the other hand, chose Joe Biden
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It is an important step in American democracy that a woman, black and representative of a minority, is appointed to the second highest office, said the mother-in-law. Other countries are much further ahead than the USA, she says.
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“When Kamala Harris stepped forward to take the oath, tears welled up in my mother-in-law’s eyes. There was a lot of relief in the family.”
Ingo Zamperoni’s mother-in-law, on the other hand, chose Joe Biden
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As a USA expert, Ingo Zamperoni expects that Joe Biden’s different political style will become noticeable very quickly. Even as a Senator, Joe Biden would have shown that he can work well with the Republican MPs.
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“The problem is that forces on the margins are pushing extremes in both parties.”
Ingo Zamperoni, moderator of the current topics
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On the fringes of the Republican Party is the Tea Party movement and those who support the Assault on the Capitol. There is a progressive movement among the Democrats that could now pressure Joe Biden to quickly get new laws in motion. Joe Biden has to find a balance between these extremes.
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Chance of reaching an agreement to fight the pandemic
Ingo Zamperoni believes that combating the coronavirus pandemic could be an opportunity to bring both camps together in order to jointly ensure more protection and security for the people in the country. That could be a common denominator, even if the parties argue on other points.
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The former Washington correspondent differentiates between the split in parliament, which is inevitable in a two-party system, and that in society. But this split in society is the basis for the political one, because it is reflected in voting behavior.
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Climate crisis second main topic
In addition to fighting the coronavirus pandemic, which will be the predominant topic for months, Ingo Zamperoni sees the climate crisis as the second major global challenge for the Biden administration. That Joe Biden is taking this into account is shown by the appointment of former US Secretary of State John Kerry as special envoy for climate protection.
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And Donald Trump? “First of all, he has to take care of his own company, which has gotten into serious trouble,” says Ingo Zamperoni. Many business partners and banks have dropped out since January 6th. With the loss of his immunity, Donald Trump must now expect legal proceedings. The prosecutor in New York, for example, has been investigating him for years.
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Ingo Zamperoni believes that if Donald Trump were able to found a “Patriots Party” and take his supporters with him, that would mean the end of the Republican Party.
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