“Just one centimeter and the world would be different. Trump’s reaction was amazing, he didn’t hide.”

Jonathan Safran Foer He is one of the American writers most interested in what is happening at the social and political heart of the world. Author of highly successful novels (published in Italy by Guanda), since his debut with everything is litfor Very strong and incredibly close.Even the climate article We can save the world before dinner., He has a keen, participatory vision for his country. He learned immediately about the attack on Donald Trump, and admitted by phone from his home in Brooklyn: “J.It took me a while to understand. When I first watched the video and saw the bullet hit the right side of his head and scratched his ear, my first reaction was: “Oh my God, Donald Trump was about to be assassinated.” “When we look back many years from now, this will be one of those moments. One centimeter and the world will change radically.”

Did he think about it after that?
“Yes, not in terms of politics, but in terms of life itself. And I thought that what happens can be determined by very small distances. Every morning, when you leave the house, you don’t know what will happen: we’ve missed something terrible or we’ve missed something wonderful. We can’t always be satisfied with the fact that today will be more or less like yesterday, but remember that everything is risky. That’s the strongest feeling I have left.”

And to see Trump’s coldness, stopping while he is still exposed and shouting: Fight, fight, fight?
“I have to be honest and admit it: I don’t like him at all and I hope he loses, but this reaction is incredible. Shocks and emergencies reveal something about us, and not necessarily anything important. I mean: Just because someone reacted well in a situation like this doesn’t mean they’re going to react well when Russia invades Ukraine. But I expected Trump to hide behind other people, and instead he didn’t.”

Do you believe there are two Americas as some claim?
“Well, there are many Americas. We’ve seen this kind of contradiction between Democrats and Republicans, but also between Republicans and Republicans, between Democrats and Democrats. Between men and women, between big and small. Now America seems to be falling apart, but I don’t think it’s a clear-cut divide, a rupture between red states and blue states. I think there’s something more complicated going on.”

Where could this situation lead?
“We have very strong institutions that protect us from potential tyrants and also from our own instincts. Of course, I fear that violence may continue, but I do not see a collapse, or a civil war. It is wrong to exaggerate, to respond hysterically. The rhetoric of fear can inflame emotions and become a threat, and incite people to violence.”

This attack strengthens Trump. Has he already won?
“I don’t think he’s won yet, but he certainly couldn’t have done better. It was a dramatic moment, he looks really strong. And it’s a terrible contrast to the way Biden looks, with his fragility. So it will definitely have an impact. But Americans have a short memory: If you look at social media now, people are affected, but in a few days they may have already moved on to something else.”

Should Joe Biden take a step back?
“Yes. And I say this even though I think he’s the best president I’ve ever had.”

Is he better than Barack Obama?
“I think so. Half the country didn’t even believe he would be elected, and he’s working against the Republican Party, very stubbornly, and he’s passed the most important legislation on climate. The American economy is probably the envy of the rest of the world. He knew how to handle situations in Russia and the Middle East. That doesn’t mean he’s the right person to be president for another four years. He’s done a great job, but he’s not that person anymore, he’s not capable of handling the kind of communication that’s needed now, and frankly that’s clear every time he opens his mouth. You’d have to be dishonest not to admit it, we all get older: certain abilities are depleted and others are acquired. The skills that Biden has acquired are the ones we desperately need now. So it’s going to be complicated, it’s going to be scary, but I’m convinced that this is the right thing to do. I think he’s a good person who believes — and I use that word again — in institutions. And he’s going to do what’s best for institutions.”

There are many conspiracy theories floating around the internet…
“It’s stupid and dangerous. There’s nothing right about this. Whether we’re talking about attacking Trump or Biden’s health, we’ve lost the ability to trust what we see with our own eyes. In life, there are things that are unclear, that can be interpreted in different ways, and there are things that are clear. If you look at the debate performance between Biden and Trump, everything is very clear. I repeat: I don’t like Trump, and I don’t want him to be president, but that doesn’t mean I should give up my grip on reality.”

The attack on Trump raises another question: how easy it is to own and use guns in the United States.
“We have a big problem that doesn’t have an easy solution because there are hundreds of millions of guns in America. It’s not enough to put them back in the box. And the gun that shot Trump is one of those guns: a military-style gun that clearly has no function in hunting or other legally permissible uses. I’m sure that’s not going to change anything. In fact, it’s going to serve to say that we need more guns, not fewer guns. And that’s tragic. We have a kind of disease in our country.”

Why does violence seem more closely linked to politics in the United States than in other countries?
“I don’t think that’s true. There have been assassination attempts and successful assassinations in Japan and Europe in recent years. America is a newer country, and our institutions are not as old as those of Europe, although 250 years may be more than enough, but sometimes it seems like we’re still trying to adapt. That, and the proliferation of weapons, makes a big difference. But it’s worth remembering that America looked really different before Trump. If Trump suddenly ceased to exist, I don’t think the Republican Party would replace him with someone exactly like him. It’s dangerous to think that he came out of nowhere, that he was an individual and not a movement, but it’s also dangerous to go in the opposite direction and think that there’s this authoritarian, neo-fascist madness in America just waiting to rear its head. I don’t think that’s true. The Republicans who have run for president over the last 20 years have been decent, intelligent people. I didn’t agree with them, I didn’t want them as president, but they were good people.”

What will he do if Trump wins?
“My family is moving to Rome next year anyway. It’s not really because of Trump, but maybe we want to stay away… and I hope he’s kept under surveillance – as he was very much in his first term – by all the institutions around him.