Illustration by Haley Jiang for Bloomberg
The Myth of the American Turning Point
Donald Trump didn’t descend a golden escalator and transform America overnight. His rise reflected deep currents in US history — and moving on may take time.
The storming of the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The second airliner smashing into the South Tower of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. These milestones in US history loom like giant landmarks. Even in a polarized country, we consider these moments self-evident. Widely, almost universally, we view them as nation-altering events.
But does the US ever really change in an instant? And if so, can it change back just as fast?
