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“Hatred and incitement have left deep scars in the foundations of democratic Society”

10.01.2021 - Press release

Foreign Minister Heiko Maas made the following remarks to the Generalanzeiger and Rheinische Post newspapers:

Four years of hatred and incitement have left deep scars in the foundations of democratic society – not only in the United States, but also in Europe. And the short-sighted “America First” policy has undermined important pillars of the international order. After they are sworn in on 20 January, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will have a great deal to do to clear the detritus of the Trump era – both within the United States and in the country’s relations with others.

It is in our interest as Europeans that they succeed in doing so. We must be ready actively to support them, for instance on Joe Biden’s plan for a “network of democracies”, which chimes well with our Alliance for Multilateralism.

However, it is also clear that while Trump is leaving the White House, he is not exiting American politics. Nor will his radicalised supporters simply vanish. Some people in Washington and in Silicon Valley have started to learn their lessons from the Trump era. This, too, will determine how much of an impact Trumpism continues to have on US politics in the coming years.

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