The results from America's first primary election are in:

Right-wing and left-wing candidates set the tone.

An unexpected triumph for Ted Cruz. And a narrow victory for Hilary Clinton. But populist rhetoric keeps Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump firmly in the race

Why has the US moved away from the middle ground?

And is there a link between populism in the US and populism in Europe?

Have your say, write to us: quadriga(at)dw.com

Our Guests

Ulrike Herrmann is a business editor for the German daily die tageszeitung or taz. She says: “If Trump were to become the Republican nominee, that would be the best thing that could happen to the Democrats. He has absolutely no chance to become president.“

Alan Posener is an author and commentator for the Berlin daily Die Welt. He says: “Thanks to the two-party system, American populists never get into the White House. In many European countries however, they are already in the government. American populism is fun. European populism is dangerous.“

Erik Kirschbaum has worked for Reuters news agency and is currently a correspondent for the Los Angeles Times in Berlin. He says: “It is an alarming trend when candidates on the fringes of both parties do so well but it is still early days and November is far away.”