"We're not actually a 50-50 nation. We're probably more like a 60-40 nation."

ARD/SPIEGEL: When you took office, you sent a message of hope and reconciliation to the American people, and yet today the USA seems to be completely divided. I think we can call it a 50-50 nation, with one half not really understanding or knowing the other side. Have you missed your goals?

Obama: Well, it’s interesting. We’re not actually a 50-50 nation. We’re probably more like a 60-40 nation. The problem is that we’re 50-50 when it comes to voting. If you look at the new generation of Americans, they reflect the vision that I spoke about. They’re diverse. They believe in tolerance. They’re accepting of things like same-sex marriage. They believe in integration. The problem, though, is that young people are less likely to vote than older people. What results is a situation in which sometimes the elections don’t fully reflect the views of the American population. Essentially, the president-elect was supported by about 27 percent of the American population. One of our challenges, historically, is that we have very low voting rates, even during presidential elections.

But what is true, and I think that we can’t deny it, is that some of the same concerns about globalization, about technology, rapid social change that were reflected in Brexit, that’s been reflected in some of the debates in Germany and France and other places, that those exist in the United States as well. My view is that over the long term, over the next 10, 15, 20 years, if we are able to address the legitimate economic concerns of those who feel left behind by globalization, then many of these tensions will be reduced. And we will see a world that is less divided. But if the global economy is unresponsive to people who feel left behind, if inequality continues to grow, then we could end up seeing more and more of these divisions arise throughout advanced economies around the world.