REPORTAGE – University students, many of whom voted for the first time, are struggling to comprehend the fact that so many Americans are choosing to vote for Donald Trump despite his inflammatory statements.
From our special correspondent in Washington,
It is difficult to imagine a tighter scenario than the one unfolding before the eyes of the crowd gathered on the campus of Howard University, the University of Washington nicknamed “black Harvard”. With their eyes glued to the giant screens on which CNN announces the provisional results in dribs and drabs, students and supporters of Vice-President Kamala Harris want to believe in a dramatic turn of events, a deus ex machina election that would overthrow North Carolina, Virginia or Pennsylvania.
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Aware that victory will undoubtedly come by a few thousand votes, the university students, many of whom voted for the first time, have difficulty understanding the fact that so many Americans are choosing to vote for Donald Trump in despite his inflammatory statements.
“The worst thing is that he will perhaps be elected, thanks to black and Arab men…”squeaks a young woman, grabbing her friend by the shoulder. “And Kamala will perhaps win thanks to the white and the old people. It doesn’t make sense.”.
The cheers resume when Angela Alsobrooks, elected to the Senate in Maryland, appears on screen to celebrate her victory. Hoping that their champion Kamala Harris will come and deliver a similar speech before the end of the evening. Even if according to the latest trends, the scenario of a victory for the vice-president seems more and more difficult to envisage.
Howard University is a central institution in the training of black American elites and occupies a pivotal place in the vice president’s personal narrative. Since her graduation in 1986, she has returned often.
Belgium