“The stakes were already historic, almost existential, four years ago. But for American democracy and for the whole world, this election has extremely important stakes,” said Monday, November 4 in franceinfo evening Philippe Etienne, former French ambassador to the United States from 2019 to 2023 and former diplomatic advisor to Emmanuel Macron, on the eve of the presidential election in the United States.
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**In 2020, “there was a clear favorite, Joe Biden”, recalls Philippe Etienne. “In the end, the election was very close and came within a few thousand votes, and it was contested.” This year the situation is “different”, but the election remains “very tight as well.” The former ambassador does not indulge in the game of predictions, stressing that “the Republicans had a little wind in their sails last week”while “in the very last hours of the campaign, there is a small reversal”. “What does that mean? Very smart is anyone who can judge it, because it’s an election that will be decided by mobilizations for or against, and especially against Donald Trump.” But according to Philippe Etienne, there is also the question of whether “Kamala Harris will have convinced”.
The former ambassador returns from “ten days” in the United States where he felt “this concern, this anxiety among our American friends. It is indisputable”. This feeling “draws on what happened four years ago, and precisely on the fact that apparently it's very tight.” There can therefore be “again protests, with Donald Trump who has already said that he will announce victory as soon as he thinks he is victorious.” And he notes that there is “already on both sides, on the Democratic side, and on the Republican side, cases have been brought before the courts. There are already a lot of disputes”. “Undoubtedly, people are a little worried,” alert Philippe Etienne.
The fear of “trade barriers”
The former French ambassador to the United States also believes that there will be consequences, for France and Europe, which will be “very different depending on whether it’s Donald Trump or Kamala Harris”. He notes in particular that the “trade barriers, customs tariffs” praised by Donald Trump will have “considerable consequences for us too”. “He wants to put tariffs on all countries, including allied countries.” Philippe Etienne therefore pleads for “Europeans, French and Europeans in general” take their “responsibilities” regardless of the American presidential election. “I think we need to take our responsibilities and make our own decisions, whoever the president or president-elect is, even if there will be very clear differences depending on whether one another is elected”insists the former ambassador.
