American expats breathe easy as suspense ends
dubai — After spending days in bated breath, scores of UAE residents, including American expatriates, heaved a collective sigh of relief on Saturday night after Democratic party candidate Joe Biden secured the majority Electoral College votes in the 2020 US Presidential elections.
American citizens said they spent the last several days ‘constantly refreshing their Internet browser’, tensely waiting for the proverbial ‘blue wave’.
UAE residents and citizens also took to social media to congratulate Kamala Harris, the first female, first Black and first South Asian vice-presidentelect.
“I feel like I have been holding my breath. And now I can finally breathe. It is a deeply emotional moment for me. I hope Joe Biden is not too late to save the moral character of America,” said Doug Cutchins, an American expatriate from Abu Dhabi.
Another Abu Dhabi resident Shukri Deria said: “I am excited
It is a deeply emotional moment for me. I hope Joe Biden is not too late to save the moral character of America Doug Cutchins American expatriate
but I am still angry that it had to come to this. I honestly cannot see how anyone would vote for Donald Trump but at this point, I will take this win and I am so happy that I woke up my daughter who is sleeping because I wanted to share with her. She is nine years old and she has been paying attention to this election. The number of days it took was driving us nuts.”
Reiterating similar sentiments, Naeema Zaki, an American expat who has been a UAE resident for 10 years, has also been up until late last night tracking the results closely.
the president will not concede the election, “when 600,000 ballots are in question”.
On Saturday morning, shortly before the projection of Joe Biden’s win, Trump tweeted: “I won this election, by a lot”.
Republican voters we spoke with are sticking by the president and hoping for a recount.
“Today’s media projections are just that, projections. I fully expect the election results to be decided by the US Supreme Court” says former GOP Congressional candidate Bryan Leib.
Other Republican sources refused to give commentary, saying they fear they will be targeted for their views.
The former vice-president will enter office facing several challenges: a deeply polarised nation, a Senate that appears likely to remain in Republican control, and continuous charges over a stolen election. He will have to more urgently manage the pandemic as the number of cases rises nationwide, and the economic crises that worsen as a result.
As Joe Biden prepares for his presidency many are waiting to see what a Biden-Harris administration will mean for US foreign policy and America’s role in the world. Will Biden appeal to the more radical wing of his party or align with more moderate Democratic and Republican lawmakers? This remains to be seen.