Americans in S’pore shocked, despondent at Trump win
SINGAPORE – Nerves gave way to shock and despondence among some members of the American community in Singapore when it became apparent on Wednesday (Nov 9) that Republican candidate Donald Trump was going to be a shoo-in in the race to the White House.
Mr James Hudson, a 32-year-old auditor who has been based in Singapore for the past year, had been following live coverage of the election at work the whole day.
He told TODAY: “When it was turning his way, I was shocked. We weren’t expecting that. Everyone was surprised… I am hopeful he will be an okay president, but I really don’t know.”
PhD student Reuben Hintz, who backed Democrat candidate Hillary Clinton, was floored by the news that she had lost.
The 35-year-old said: “It’s hard to prepare for what you almost think is going to be a Clinton victory, then to see the numbers at what they are now. That’s just emotionally very difficult.”
Offering his take on the shocking results, Mr Hintz, who is studying at the National University of Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, said: “It comes down to the fact that Caucasian males and females who are less educated and who did not benefit as much from globalisation are angry. They feel like they have been left out. And that was vastly underestimated in the US elections, as well as in Brexit.”
More than 500 Americans turned up at the US presidential elections watch party at the Conrad Centennial Hotel, organised by the American Chamber of Commerce in Singapore on Wednesday morning.
The day had started off with many anticipating a win by Mrs Clinton. There was even an unofficial “voting station” which showed that the Democrats would carry the day.
All eyes were glued to the live feed being shown in the ballroom, and supporters of Mrs Clinton, who dominated the room, cheered whenever a state turned blue on the maps shown — indicating a win for Mrs Clinton — and went silent when it turned red.
Whispers of “this is scary” started going round at noon as it became clear that Mr Trump’s lead was widening.
By 3pm, when the party broke up, the mood had turned, even though Mr Trump had not been officially announced as the 45th US commander-in-chief at that point.
Mr Tom Benner, 57, a freelance writer said: “Four years ago, we had a Republican candidate who was qualified. I didn’t agree with everything he said, but I wouldn’t have worried if he probably won … Now, it’s a ‘screw you’ situation… This is not entertainment… This is really serious. And scary.”
Commenting on Mr Trump, he added: “I worry what the world is going to be like. He doesn’t appreciate globalisation. He doesn’t appreciate the fact that the world is a smaller place than it used to be, that it’s possible to do trade around the world. He is an American-first kind of inward-looking guy.”
Trump-supporter Carlos Suarez, however, was among a handful smiling broadly. The 35-year-old who was here for a law enforcement conference, cast a vote via an absentee ballot before coming to Singapore.
He said: “I believe he is not a politician, which is probably his best attribute. He frankly is a businessman, which we never had in this type of position. We have lawyers in Congress and the Senate right now, but the grand majority are lawyers who basically make decisions on financial interest.”
Calling Mr Trump a man who comes from money and “doesn’t owe many people favours”, he added: “Some of his views are extreme, sure. But you can tell from the reactions that people are fed up with the political (situation) and they want something different.”
