Hi, I’m Sarah Ferguson, I am back living in Washington DC during what feels like a dark time in America. Warnings were coming thick and fast during the Trump administration about the rising threat from right wing extremism, but the White House preferred to focus instead on Antifa and the left. The result of that extremist threat being allowed to develop almost unchallenged was the ugly, deadly insurrection on Capitol Hill on January 6. I was supposed to move to America later in February, but the drama of that event was so intense we made a quick pivot at Four Corners to get us over here as quickly as possible. Cut to a couple of hastily packed suitcases, not enough gloves, no snow boots but the opportunity to investigate the riots and what that event tells us about the fractures in American society. When I lived here in the mid-1990s, I watched the emergence of a new form of partisanship in Washington under Newt Gingrich’s 'Republican Revolution' which morphed into the 'Tea Party' and then the arrival into Congress recently of more extreme, polarizing figures, some of whom played an active role in galvanising the riots. That is why I say it’s a dark time. The common ground has receded; power politics in Washington, ever a brutal game, are more atomized than ever with social media playing a frightening role in amplifying divisions. So, it’s going to busy, intense and fascinating. At least I managed to get some snow boots yesterday. Downfall: The last days of President Trumpairs tonight at 8:30 on the ABC. You can also stream it live on the Four Corners Facebook page, ABC iview, or catch up on the Four Corners YouTube or on the Four Corners website.
