We all sat on the edge of our seats last week as we waited to find out the new president-elect of the United States. Unfortunately, a lot of us sat back as the results were announced.
Political figures and celebrities campaigned, urging everyone to vote.
But the vote didn’t go the way many had planned, and that goes for populations outside of America. So, with high tensions and uncertainty in the air, I asked non-Americans what they think of our presidential election — because people are tired. Here’s what 25 people had to say:
***Edit note: Responses were not selected based on their opinion towards one side or the other; however, the responses received were collectively anti-Trump.***
1.“I am a Canadian-born legal U.S. resident, and I never feel more helpless than during an election year when all of my friends and colleagues are going out to vote.”
“I left Canada as a kid and now I’m an adult. It’s all I’ve ever known, and I just wish I could join my friends in the fight. It makes me feel like such an imposter.”
—Cait, Canada
2.“It’s incredible to me that Trump is considered a real candidate, twice.”
3.“The whole MAGA cult is just very frightening to every sane person.”
“As a European watching this and other elections, it continues to blow my mind how fragile your system seems to be. There is a lot that’s wrong in politics where I’m from, but I fully trust our democratic process, at least, and have never once thought about anything other than my own choice when voting. The whole Electoral College thing making geography the deciding factor over which vote is important? The gerrymandering, the costs of campaigns, the different rules in different states, the voter registration, the differing circumstances under which you cast your ballots, and how they are ultimately counted.
People are being intimidated on their way to the booth, it’s sometimes difficult to keep your vote secret or to avoid being influenced in the voting place, partisan people might count votes and confirm the results… Seems like the system invites malfeasance.”
—Hana, Germany
4.“It’s scary that Trump has been able to brainwash half a nation using fear and division… and can still be taken seriously in this day and age, especially in one of the world’s largest economies.”
5.“I have so much anxiety over this election.”
“I know what it will mean for our world if Trump gets in, and it’s terrifying. I’m also pretty horrified that he has so many supporters. How can they not see he’s another Hitler?”
—nostalgicmug67, Australia
6.“In one way, it is a pure spectator sport.”
“People are having viewing parties with American theme food and decorations. The result has very few direct impacts other than on the western stock market…Very few people agree with the two-party system, and most people think even being able to vote for Trump is utter insanity.”
—Caroline, Denmark
7.“I’m a Brit working in a ‘sh-thole’ (beautiful) country, with lots of U.S. citizens.”
“Upon hearing the outcome of the 2016 election, an Arab-American colleague of my wife uttered ‘I’m so grateful I pass for Italian.’ The very fact that anyone should have to think that way is an abomination. The look of quiet anxiety on my colleagues’ faces today says it all.”
—Anonymous, Kenya-South Africa
8.“I’d love to say it doesn’t bother me at all, but I just cannot get over how bat-sh-t crazy it is that in 2024, a felon is able to run for president.”
“I genuinely feel so relieved that I’m not American, but equally, I can’t ignore the knock-on effect of this election on other countries. I think not only politics, but people’s attitudes, in general in my country, have become much more right-leaning since Trump was elected back in 2016. How anyone can vote for someone who has such blatant disregard for female lives and health is beyond me, and I do genuinely worry that attitudes in my own country will start to turn that way, too.”
—Anonymous, England
Edwin Remsberg / Getty Images
9.“As a Canadian, I have been watching this sh-t show closely for almost a decade.”
“What happens down there eventually comes here, and unfortunately, the MAGA mindset has arrived.”
—surprisedfish60, Canada
10.“We’re laughing, but also crying.”
“I’m very nervous about what could happen on a global scale. The man has constant temper tantrums and nuclear codes — great combo. That and a dictator’s ambition. I’m very worried for the world. And I’m laughing at Trump supporters. People that stupid shouldn’t be allowed to vote.”
—Eileen Bouman, Netherlands
11.“Your voting system is insane and confusing.”
“Why the popular vote doesn’t apply to the president does not make any sense.”
—Bex, England
Jupiterimages / Getty Images
12.“As a non-American who moved here last year —from the UK— I’m constantly disappointed and surprised at the extent to which people —on both sides (but more so on the Trump one)— simply do not listen to each other or care about facts.”
“People will happily repeat things they’ve heard that have either been proven false, or are literally impossible — and state it as if it’s a legitimate reason to have their opinion.
I find it terrifying that the impact of statements is entirely down to the statement, and not whether it’s actually true. People seem to have deliberately, willingly switched off their capacity to weigh evidence and make decisions based on it. Instead, they form an opinion and choose which ‘evidence’ supports it, happy to pick things that are made up, or simply wild conspiracy. It feels like everyone’s reverting to a time before things were actually checkable. The one glimmer of hope is that most people —even those who claim to hold abhorrent, bigoted views based on lies— seem not to act on those views when it comes to one-on-one interaction. So I guess…everyone hates everyone, but not in person?”
—Jamey, United Kingdom (via Los Angeles)
13.“I sit here and watch dumbfounded that my neighbors to the south have proven yet again the depth of their stupidity.”
“I just can’t. How? How is this happening again? We all feel the ripple effects of a ranting lunatic in power.”
—Anonymous, Vancouver, Canada
14.“It is very emotional, and it takes you back to the storming of the Capitol.”
“That Musk can pay people to vote for Trump seems amazing and undemocratic.
Most people I meet cannot understand why Americans are voting for Trump, considering his poor moral history. He appears to be mentally unbalanced and produces anxiety as to where the world will go now.”
—Anonymous, United Kingdom
Samuel Corum / Getty Images
15.“How could they??? Are They so naive????”
—A Piet, Great Britain
16.“Absolutely terrifying.”
“How was Trump allowed to happen?”
—Anonymous, England
17.“I lived in the U.S. from the mid ‘80s to early ’90s.”
“My memories are of a warm and generous people who are always ready to accept and support people of different color, race, and life philosophies. What I read of goings-on in the U.S. over the last decade bears no resemblance to my experience.
Your potential incoming president has not only damaged the national psyche, he continually besmirches the legacy of tolerance, acceptance, and democracy.
Yet today, he stands on the brink of the highest elected office in the land.
Unfortunately, as I am not American, it is not my place to be critical, yet it is impossible for me to bemoan the loss of ‘beautiful land’… America may never recover and restore itself.”
—Exskie, Asia
18.“It’s like watching a car crash…”
“Except for a minute there, it looked like someone (Kamala) who knew what they were doing was taking control of the wheel, but then they lost, so it crashed anyway. I can’t look away, and am heartbroken for everybody who is going to suffer from these results.”
—Anonymous, Australia
Netflix/Don’t Look Up / Via netflix.com
19.“I’m Canadian, which means American politics bleed up here.”
“We are starting to see our own politicians emulate Trump’s approach. We are seeing political aggression in ways we never have. I desperately hoped that Trump would fall because this is not just an American concern, it’s a global one. I am heartbroken for those who voted for Harris, I am terrified for American women, and I am beyond scared for the next World War because I don’t see how we avoid this now.”
—Anonymous, Canada
20.“During the 2016 election, and as the night ticked on, I simply couldn’t believe my eyes and ears.”
“It was gutting. Then in 2020, once Biden got in, I thought we wouldn’t have to go through that insanity again. Oh, how wrong I was. I have yet to meet one person who is pro-Trump here in the UK. To us, he is insanity personified. The only thing impressive about him is that his caked-on makeup doesn’t get on his white collar. I’ve been obsessively following this election, far more than the recent UK elections. Our candidates are simply not so polarising. I can’t imagine being friends with a Trump supporter, but whether you support Labour or Conservative in the UK, doesn’t generally mean you can’t get along.”
— vibrantdaisy111, United Kingdom
21.“We’re all f-cked.”
22.“I am a Canadian currently living in Europe.”
“The fact that Trump won has devastating effects on both of my homes. In Canada, we have been battling severe wildfires for several summers now. Many communities are damaged or destroyed as a result of these fires, which are often caused by climate change. To have a climate change-denying neighbour will not only make climate issues worse, but also potentially means we don’t receive any aid or assistance in fighting them. This is devastating. We are a huge country. We need the U.S.’s assistance. And aside from this, I worry that my family in Canada cannot already afford groceries due to inflation issues, and if Trump puts more tariffs on trade, I worry that they won’t be able to eat. I worry that this will fuel our own far-right movement and those around the world instead of scaring them off.
I just feel this great sadness that this once great nation has become a cesspool of toxicity, that neither me or my friends want to visit or have anything to do with. It’s such a different situation from the adoration of the USA my parents and grandparents grew up with.”
—Emma, France
23.“I think America has gone completely insane.”
“As a woman, it hurts even more to know that over 70 million Americans voted for a man who brags about his sexual assaults on women. It is genuinely baffling to watch from abroad. I wish Americans could understand that the entire world is affected by the U.S. president. We are all going to suffer from the climate crisis, and the people of Palestine and Ukraine are completely f-cked. This will also affect funding for women’s health in developing nations. It’s a disaster all around. I’m angry…and honestly completely f-cking furious with everyone who voted for this dangerous liar. If America wants to flush itself down the toilet, that’s up to them, but you’ll take us all with you.”
—Hannah, Scotland
Drazen Zigic / Getty Images
24.“I dunno what’s going on in Americans’ heads.”
“At this point, I just think Americans like him. They like that he’s a felon; that he gets away with basically everything; that he’s a rapist; vulgar; crude; a liar; that he screws over people who worked for him; that he’s going senile. They have all the info they need on him. We all do. And they like him. He reflects American values. I didn’t believe that after he won the first time. People hated Hillary and didn’t really know him. But now? I just think he reflects that vast majority of Americans.”
—Anonymous, Canada
25.And finally, “Your elections are insane.”
“The electoral system is nuts. Donald Trump ‘won’ the 2016 election by getting fewer votes than his opponent. Stephen Colbert, who I think is a generally smart and self-aware guy, referred to America being ‘the greatest democracy in the world’ whilst discussing an election where the candidate who got fewer votes won. That is not a hallmark of a great democracy. Also, if you want foreigners not to have opinions on your elections, you need to stop referring to POTUS as ‘the leader of the free world.’ As a resident of the free world (UK), I have some thoughts.
I’d also like to add that I don’t think our electoral system is any better. Our current government got a huge majority by getting just over a third of the vote. That’s silly. But I don’t claim it’s the best country in the world either.”
—EdwardJeff, United Kingdom
Dougberry / Getty Images
