Claudia Buckenmaier

When Joe Biden took office as president of the United States, many hoped he could reunite the fractured nation. Today, the social rifts are deeper than ever. Right-wing groups have become further radicalized, Donald Trump is preparing his return to the White House, and distrust of politics and the state is at an all-time high.

Claudia Buckenmaier, head of the ARD studio in Washington until 2022, is a proven expert on America. On her reporting trips, she has captured many stories that show where the U.S. stands today. Among them are those of a Hispanic sheriff who witnesses the failure of American immigration policy on a daily basis at the Texas border; a pastor from Ohio whose congregation falls for extreme conspiracy theories; or a Democratic congressman who witnessed the storming of the Capitol in the boardroom. In her book, Buckenmaier takes the pulse of the world’s most powerful nation: is there hope for reconciliation in a dangerously destabilized country? And what does that mean for us?

Claudia Buckenmaier studied political science and German studies and then worked for ARD in Berlin, London, Stockholm and Washington. She currently works as a correspondent in the ARD capital studio in Berlin.

Moderation: Frauke Kühnl, Mannheim Evening Academy

In cooperation with the Reinhold-Maier-Stiftung