Joseph Stiglitz: Is Donald Trump an aberration or a symptom of a deeper US malady?
Joseph Stiglitz, University Professor, published an opinion in Project Syndicate and The Guardian.
The underlying causes of Trump’s rise to power must be addressed, from taming social media to tackling inequality
Fortunately, Joe Biden will assume the US presidency on January 20. But, as the shocking events of January 6 showed, it will take more than one person – and more than one presidential term – to overcome America’s longstanding challenges.
The assault on the US Capitol by President Donald Trump’s supporters, incited by Trump himself, was the predictable outcome of his four-year-long assault on democratic institutions, aided and abetted by so many in the Republican Party. And no one can say that Trump had not warned us: he was not committed to a peaceful transition of power. Many who benefited as he slashed taxes for corporations and the rich, rolled back environmental regulations, and appointed business-friendly judges knew they were making a pact with the devil. Either they believed they could control the extremist forces he unleashed, or they didn’t care.
Read the full article on Project Syndicate here, and on The Guardian here.