Dhard to find Republican voters in the region. Most Americans living in France are Democrats. Everyone is watching the American election with concern. “If Donald Trump wins, it will be dangerous for the United States and if Kamala Harris wins, I am afraid that the situation will degenerate in the streets, like during the assault on the Capitol on January 6, 2021,” anticipates Denise Jobin- Welch, a former American diplomat based in Barsac, in Gironde, for two years. In an American society that is still so divided, this New Yorker “does not see how the two camps can get along.”
“It’s more and more complicated to dialogue. Twenty years ago, the political debate was still constructive between the two parties. Today, there are no more friendly exchanges or respect, we perceive the other as our enemy. There is a war of values, between progressives and conservatives, over the notion of being ''a good American'',” analyzes Jamie Perosi-Doughty, tourist guide and temporary teacher in Bordeaux. This American, who arrived in France in 2009, originally from New Jersey, no longer even talks politics with his family, the majority of whom vote Republican. “We avoid the subject to stay in peace. »
“Seen from France, we perceive this campaign as a spectacle”
A “show” campaign
But from France, they openly display their support for the democratic camp, their nails painted blue, a few days before the election. Under the replica of the Statue of Liberty, Place Picard in Bordeaux, they are joined by Rebekah Tonnerieux, another American from California, married to a Frenchman and settled in Gironde. “Seen from France, we perceive this campaign as a spectacle. Even my children are interested in knowing which celebrities support which candidate! Except it's the same with the adults there. There is a less demanding expectation on the substance of the campaign, everything is in the form,” she regrets.
They have already voted online, in advance, but in their respective states, already committed to the Democratic cause, the stakes are minimal. “Sometimes, I have the impression that my vote is useless and that it counts less than the others,” explains Rebekah Tonnerieux, not very motivated by the indirect electoral system. “We will especially have our eyes fixed on Pennsylvania or Wisconsin, which will be decisive,” says Jamie Perosi-Doughty. Seeing the polls slightly favoring Donald Trump, these Democrats are especially worried about women's rights or the stability of democracy.
“But a Trump election will also have repercussions on the European and French economy, because of trade taxes,” warns Rebekah, whose husband works in wine, an already weakened sector. “The French people around us feel concerned by this election, especially in the city,” they say. “But they also wonder, like us, how Donald Trump, despite his legal problems, can still be so popular. And I, conversely, ask them how can Marine Le Pen be so popular here? », compares Denise.
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