The 2016 US Presidential Election is right around the corner and it’s definitely the most controversial and talked about subject at the moment, not only in America but across the entire globe. Never has a presidential election brought up so much debate and scandal.
What is consistently not taken into account, though, is how this is being viewed throughout the rest of the world. This election is different than any other; it has other countries talking all the time and expats, Americans living abroad, feeling differently about their home country. Having lived in another country all my life until last year, this troubles me, since I notice that many Americans consider this an internal situation and don’t take into account what everyone outside of the US thinks of it. This is why I decided to gather opinions from different people living abroad, both American expats and internationals, and see what everyone’s viewpoint was and how it differed from what we are used to here.
One of the first things I am told is that from a European point of view there are many things in America that aren’t working the way that they should, and I completely agree. In Spain, for example, guns are illegal and a mass shooting or a kid accidentally shooting his sibling would be extremely rare. Everyone I talk to there doesn’t understand why Americans feel the need to own guns as they bring way more harm than good. The health system and college affordability are other big issues that make no sense. Bernie Sanders bought up these issues and seemed like a perfect candidate, so many people were disappointed when he lost the nomination.
The US Presidential Elections have always been of extreme interest to the European population, and with the start of the 21st century, there is a revolution happening, with antiquated rules being broken. America is finally moving forward and giving power to those that are best prepared, regardless of gender or race. This election, though, doesn’t fully represent the advancements we have made as a society. All expats told me that this year’s election has not made them feel very proud to be Americans and they feel embarrassed, and I agree. Every time I tell someone in Spain I’m American I get asked how we let someone like Donald Trump get so far. It makes no sense, how is it possible that a perfectly qualified person is running against an egocentric and racist rich businessman who is thirsty for power, and there is still doubt about who might win? Many American expats are embarrassed that this election has turned into some sort of reality show that the entire world is watching. In France they apparently love to show on TV how outrageous Americans are, they find it entertaining. An expat tells me that for her, it’s like watching a train wreck from a mile away: “Politeness, consideration and sensitivity to others is more valuable to French mindset." Another expat says that it is embarrassing that during this campaign very little attention was paid to important public policy issues: “Both candidates have wasted too much time on petty personal attacks."
Everyone I spoke to agrees that Donald Trump seems racist and ignorant, educating his supporters into hate and anger, and it is scary to think that he could have enough power to influence other countries into adopting these beliefs. He has brought political debates to such a low level it’s hard to believe, and has turned this election into a battle between love and hate. Most of them, including non-Americans, believe that, although they don’t agree with everything she stands for, Hillary Clinton is a much more qualified person to be president, and our only chance of beating Trump. An expat tells me that she was once told that you need to be in America to really understand the situation, but after living abroad for many years she has to disagree: “There are in fact real advantages to living abroad in order to really understand the situation in the US and how it affects the entire world." Is this the image we want other countries to have of us? How did we let this freak show get so far?
It is important for us to prevent one of the leading economies in the world from falling into the wrong hands. Don’t just assume that everything will be okay, get out and vote!
