the despair of Tara, an American tattoo artist and illustrator in Rouen

While Donald Trump's victory in the 2024 American presidential elections is now official on the other side of the Atlantic, in Rouen (Seine-Maritime), illustrator and tattoo artist Tara Chávez expresses her sadness at the results.

Words almost seem to fail Tara Chonvez, 35-year-old American, living in Rouen. “I wasn't very optimistic about the results of the election but now I'm in shock“, she confides, distraught.

The illustrator and tattoo artist, based in the Norman capital for three years, reveals her deep sadness after the near victory of Donald Trump in the 2024 American presidential elections.

Originally from southern Oregon, where Democratic candidate Kamala Harris came in first, the expatriate cannot explain the billionaire's triumph. “People voted with fear. They were scared on immigration, the economy, and they chose to vote for the champion who claims to be able to save them.“

A victory which all the more affects the tattoo artist who is of Mexican origin, her father being a Mexican who immigrated to the United States in recent decades. “It's hard for me to believe that millions of people voted for a man who referred to my father as a rapist and a criminal.“, she denounces angrily. A reference to comments made by Donald Trump about Mexican immigrants in the United States during his campaign in 2016.

The success of the Republican candidate is also, for her, that of big businesses: “everyone thinks that purchasing power will increase with Trump but that is false, for me it is mainly the large companies that are already very rich who have won today, he will help them to get even richer“.

The tattoo artist nevertheless hoped for a victory for Kamala Harris until the last minute, without showing overwhelming optimism. “I didn't want to say too much because I was afraid that what I feared would happen, but I still wanted to believe it. I took the time to vote remotely, I tried to get involved even if I also took a step back from current events so as not to destroy my morale“, says Tara Chontime.

With sadness in her voice, the illustrator had imagined that the current vice-president could have reversed the trend: “ I have mixed feelings about Kamala Harris, she hasn't done much in recent years. But she represented hope, I think she might have really changed things on the right to abortion for example“.

Norman adoption, Tara ChonHowever, vez remains attached to the United States and its future. “With Trump in power, I fear for my country. I fear that social inequalities will continue to increase, that there will be more poor people and more injustice.“

Concerns that they share with her parents and brothers and sisters, all of whom remain in the United States.

I think it will take one of my brothers several days to get over the news. Whether it is for access to health, immigration, purchasing power, women's rights, we are all afraid that the situation will get worse. I'm in shock, it's a nightmare.

Tara Chávez, tattoo artist and illustrator of American origin living in Rouen

Dark prospects for the future of his country but also for international news: ” I am really mobilized by what is happening with Gaza and I think that the fact that Trump becomes president again will worsen the conflict. He sees international relations as business meetings where we talk from man to man when everything is more complex“.

Only the continuity of the political fight now counts for Tara Chonvez who hopes a Democratic candidate will reach the White House in four years.