The US under Donald Trump: politics divides a Swiss-American family

A year after Donald Trump’s re-election, Swiss public broadcaster SRF's reporter Kathrin Winzenried returns to Cody, Wyoming, to meet members of her extended family. Political conversations remain difficult. Progressive voices have largely fallen silent, as avoiding the topic often seems easier than confronting deep divisions. Political discussions were already sensitive before the 2024 election. Eighteen months later, differences within the Winzenried family have become more pronounced. Politics is now less a matter of opinion than of identity and moral positioning. For some, Trump is the right leader; for others, he is a symptom of a broken system. What has changed is not only the political landscape, but also a sense of security and shared assumptions. Conversations about politics are increasingly avoided. Some family members openly support Trump, others harbour doubts. Among progressives, there is a feeling that silence can amount to complicity in policies they view as dangerous.