Amerikana: Trump, Berlusconi and Starbucks

Hello and welcome back to the latest edition of my newsletter Amerikana.

This time I looked at:

?? Trump’s “love fest” in the Bronx

?? Trump and Berlusconi

?? Starbucks losing its luster

?As always: Let me know what you think. And if you like this newsletter: please like and share it.

?? Yes, there are people in the Bronx who like Donald Trump

·?????? Blacks and Latinos vote Democrats? Well, not all of them as I could see when I made my way to the South Bronx to watch Donald Trump charm the thousands of people who came. Many of them blacks and Latinos from the area.

·?????? I made a conscious decision not to sit in the press gallery, but to stand for hours in line with the normal visitors. Estimates range between 15 000 and 35 000 people. And if there had been more than the 5 metal detectors (for thousands of people!), probably a lot more would have gotten in.

·?????? Despite everything, the event was extremely peaceful and festive. Even dissenting voices, such as that of a tall, elderly white lady, were tolerated. She stood in the middle of them all with her sign: “Trump = Nazi” and “He hates you”. A black woman simply comments: “She doesn't look like she's from the Bronx”. And a retired Italian-American construction worker next to me in line says, “We have freedom of speech in this country and that's a good thing.”

·?????? The Latinos and blacks I've spoken to don't want to be told who to vote for and many tell me they were better off under Trump. Democrats be warned.

?

?? No, the trials are not hurting Donald Trump. Take a look at Berlusconi.

·?????? Heading into a decisive week for the Trump trial in New York I took a closer look at another modern populist who proceeded the US president: Silvio Berlusconi, the entrepreneur turned Premier inItaly.

·?????? As the former Italy correspondent I have had many déjà-vus here in the US. Their careers, their relationship with women - and the very different one with their daughters - and their dealing with the justice system coming after them.

·??????We can learn a lot from the Berlusconi example. One of the lessons: The more lawsuits, the stronger he gets. Democrats be warned, again.

?

?? What’s wrong with Starbucks?

·?????? Americans are shunning six-dollar lattes, employees are unionizing. And now Muslims around the world and Chinese are boycotting the company.

·?????? The brand has lost its appeal everywhere, with sales falling in all regions of the world in the latest quarter. The stock market value of the coffee icon has fallen by more than 30 percent in the past six months.

·?????? Together with my colleagues Axel Postinett , Martin Benninghoff and Mathias Peer we took a look around the world how the once iconic brand is perceived.?Spoiler: It's not good for the coffee chain.