In the same week that Donald Trump became leader of the free world, Ed Balls’ salsa to Gangnam Style took the country by storm. As entertainment heavyweight Trump, was moving into politics, Ed was making the same journey in reverse.
Ed walks a mile in the shoes of those he meets – whether it’s Confederate flag-flying rednecks, Trump’s newly empowered immigration officers, victims of the Parkland school shooting, or the President’s inner circle of millionaire friends – to find out if they think Trump is delivering on his promises to fix America, despite the chaos and controversies of his administration so far.
A long way from home and his own politics, Ed is determined to find out how Trump tapped into the US psyche and what his popularity tells us about today’s American values.
‘The interesting thing about this is that Balls isn’t simply saying: “Look at these crazy redneck idiots. How the hell did it come to this?” He is not starting from the assumption that they are wrong. He is taking the time to hang out with them, to listen and get inside their world, to see things through their eyes in order to understand how it came to this’ – The Guardian, ****
BBC TWO – 3 x 60’
Executive Produced by Amy Flanagan & Dominique Foster
Series Directed by Warren Smith
Series Produced by Clare Cameron