AlthoughTrumphaswalkedoffthestage,Trumpismwillnotjustfadeaway.TheconnotationofTrumpismisAmericanpopulism,whitesupremacyandanti-globalism.ThiskindofvaluesnotonlyintensifiedthepoliticalandsocialdivisionsintheUnitedStates,escalatedracialdiscrimination,andrepeatedlychallengedAmericandemocracyandlawsystem,butalsooverturnedbasicinternationalmechanismsandrulessuchasopenmarketandfreecompetition,andcausedtensionsandregressionintheinternationalorder.AccordingtoanopinionpollintheUS,TrumphasbeenconsideredbythemajorityofAmericanstobe“theworstpresidentinAmericanhistory”.Evenso,Trumpstillwon46.9%ofthevotesinthe2020presidentialelection,andaccordingtoGalluppolls,57%ofRepublicansupportersstillbelievethatTrumpisthebestcandidateforthe2024presidentialelection.WhyhasTrump,whoisconsideredbymanytobetheworstpresidentever,andhasonlyhisandhisfamily'sinterestsinhiseyes,becomeanidolofnearlyhalfofAmericanvoters?AnalystsbelievethatthisisnotonlybecauseTrump’s“whitesupremacy”concepthasbeensoughtafterbysomefanaticracists,butalsobecausetheUShasbeenhauntedbysocialissuessuchasthewideninggapbetweentherichandthepoor,theshrinkingmiddleclass,andtherapidincreaseinthenumberofpeoplestrugglingonsociety’sbottomrung.TheUnitedStatesistheworld’slargesteconomy.AlthoughitsGDPin2020droppedby3.5%,itspercapitaGDPstillstoodat$60,000,`higherthanthatofJapan,Germany,Britain,France,andothermajorWesterneconomies.However,sincethelate1980s,theUSeconomyhasgraduallyshiftedfromindustry-driventofinance-driven.Inthefaceofrisinglaborcostsandintensifiedenvironmentalproblems,“Reaganomics”pushedanoutwardmigrationofmanufacturing.Exceptcoreindustriessuchasairplanes,automobiless,andchips,theUShastransferredmostofitsmanufacturingindustriesoverseasandtodevelopingcountriesandregionstoreducebusinessspendingandpollution,atthesametimekeepingitsleadingedgeinmanufacturingandinnovationandbenefitsfromimportsubstitution.ThissignificantchangeinindustrialstructurehascausedasharpincreaseintheproportionofserviceindustriesinAmerica,whiletheproportionofmanufacturinghasdropped.In2019,financialservicesandserviceindustriesaccountedfor80%ofthetotalUSGDP,andmanufacturingaccountedfor11.2%.Inthisprocess,theUSeconomycontinuedtorise.Inlessthan30yearsfrom1991to2019,theUSGDPnearlyquadrupled.However,Americanfinancialcapitalismhasalsocauseda“K-shaped”changeinthedistributionofwealth.Ononehand,theUSstockmarkethasrepeatedlyhitrecordhighs,theoperativecapabilitiesofcapitalandfinancialproductsinUSfinancialmarketshavesurged;themarketcapitalizationofinnovativetechnologycompanies,especiallydigitalinformationtechnologycompanies,haveremainedhigh.Ontheotherhand,manufacturingrelocationshasledtoaseveredrainofjobs,andthegapbetweentheincomesofthemiddleandlowerclassesintheUSandhigh-incomegroupcontinuestowiden.In2018,whentheGinicoefficientwas0.485,thegapbetweenrichandpoorhita50-yearhigh.Therichest10%ofAmericanhouseholdsaccountedfornearly75%ofthenetworthofthenationaltotal.Overtheyears,theUShasattractedalargenumberoftalentsandimmigrantsfromallovertheworld.“AmericanDream”inotherwordsisthe“middleclassdream”.Americansbelievethataslongastheyworkhardtofindadecentjob,theywouldbeabletoliveadecentlife.However,accordingtostatisticsfromtheUSCensusBureauin2018,therewere39.7millionpoorpeopleintheUS,andatleast500,000Americanswerehomeless.Especiallyforthepeopleovertheageof60,1/12ofthemlackedsufficientfood,andthetotalnumberofthesepeoplewas5.5million.OnereasonthatTrumpwasabletowinthe2016USpresidentialelectionwasthathecommittedtobringAmericans’livesbacktothe1950s.TheCOVID-19pandemichasfurtherincreasedthegapbetweentherichandthepoorandthe“K-shaped”incomedistribution.Wecanimaginethemiddleandlowerclasses’dissatisfactionwithAmericanpoliticsandthestateofaffairs.Inthepast10years,theRepublicanPartyhasturnedincreasinglytotheright,theDemocraticPartyincreasinglytotheleft,thetwomajorpoliticalforces’divergencesoverhowtotackleproblemsinincomedistributionandenlargemiddle-incomegroupshavepolarizedincreasingly.TheRepublicanPartyhopestoincreaseemploymentopportunitiesbyreducingtaxes,buyingAmericangoodsandhiringAmericans,cuttingimmigrantsandrefugees,tostimulatethereturnofoverseasmanufacturinginvestmentandreduceitsdependenceonoverseasgoods;theDemocraticPartyhopestoincreasetaxesontherich,raisetheminimumwage,expandgovernmentexpendituresonsocialwelfare,andincreasesubsidestothepoor.Atpresent,theBidenadministration’spoliciesfocusonissuessuchastheUSeconomy,people’slivelihoods,thepandemic,andclimatechange.Bidenhassignedanew“BuyAmerica”executiveorderandcalledtoreplacegovernmentvehicleswithnew-energyones,andpromisedthisdecisionwouldcreate1millionnewjobsathome.TheBidenadministrationisalsopushingforanewpandemicreliefbillof$1.9trillion,providingasubsidyof$1,400toeveryunemployedAmerican.Theproblemisthattherecentdecisionofblockingretailinginvestorsfrompurchasingstocksleftroomforspeculation.SomeanalystssaythatthegapbetweentherichandthepoorintheUSmaybefurtherwidenedin2021.ContributedbyZhuFeng,InstituteofInternationalRelations,NanjingUniversityTranslatedbyRenMeiqi