Over the past four years, American politics have been consumed and subsumed by one man: Donald Trump. Since his election in 2016, Trump’s disregard for convention has upended the norms of the U.S. presidency and undermined the separation of powers on which America’s constitutional system depends. His iconoclastic approach to foreign policy has further frayed the global order the U.S. has historically used to advance its interests, while raising questions about America’s commitment and dependability as an ally. Long-standing political partisanship and divisions within the U.S. have become particularly acute in the runup to next week’s election, amid heightened anxiety over the potential for tampering and manipulation of the outcome.

In today’s big picture Trend Lines interview, Edward Luce joins WPR’s editor-in-chief, Judah Grunstein, to discuss the impact of Trump’s four years in office, the atmosphere surrounding next week’s election and what’s at stake for America and the world. Luce is a columnist and the U.S. national editor for the Financial Times, and has long been a highly regarded observer of American politics, which he has been covering for FT since 2006.

Relevant Articles on WPR:

Trump Is a Bad Joke That America Has Played on Itself—and the World

What to Keep From Trump’s Foreign Policy After He’s Gone

Even If Biden Wins, America May Still Be Crippled by Trump

What a Biden Win Would Mean for the Future of Multilateralism

Biden’s Blind Spots on Foreign Policy Would Cripple America After Trump

Trend Lines is produced and edited by Peter Dörrie, a freelance journalist and analyst focusing on security and resource politics in Africa. You can follow him on Twitter at @peterdoerrie.

To send feedback or questions, email us at podcast@worldpoliticsreview.com.