US expatriateS Slam trUmp crying fraUd
American expats living in the UAE are calling US President Donald Trump’s statement about going to the Supreme Court ‘undemocratic’. Trump claimed early Wednesday that he had won the US election and accused his rival Joe Biden’s Democrats of “fraud”, declaring that he would go to the apex court to dispute the counting of votes.
“We were just about to win, in fact, we have already won,” Trump said in an aggressive tone during a night of nail-biting tension from the White House earlier. In turn, the Biden camp called Trump’s bid to stop vote counting “outrageous and unprecedented”.
However, for the American expatriate community living in the UAE, it has been two days of marathon television watching with no shortage of speculation among family groups about the bitterly contested presidential election.
Some told Khaleej Times that they even took a day off to be with their families as they watched the “most decisive” election of their life, amid the pandemic.
Abu Dhabi resident Shukri Deria says, “my husband took two days off just to watch the election results and he has stayed up all night and all morning. We feel that Donald Trump is now just setting up a case for going to the Supreme Court. Well, he can scream fraud but there is really no evidence for that. What creates a bit of disquiet is that the margins between him and Joe Biden are getting smaller, which could be the lead-up for a possible recount. But Trump does not seem to be leaving the White House easily. So, it’s a build-up to that and is a visible tactic deployed by him.”
Residents pointed out that they are nervous yet optimistic as the situation gets more tense and aggressive. Saba Brelvi, a student adviser at NYU Abu Dhabi, says, “Voters have turned out in high numbers, this is a record breaking turnout. I am definitely a Biden supporter. He is clearly growing in the number of his total votes. I have been watching this non-stop all day long and it looks to me the way the margins are shrinking and I am hopeful, this will be a good outcome.”
She adds, “I don’t think a politician gets to decide the consequence of the election. The voters decide the outcome of the election. That’s the history of our elections in the US. We put
a lot of effort into free and fair elections. I have paid a lot of attention to the process because I care a lot about this and there is integrity to our election process. Regardless of what Trump says they haven’t stopped counting votes, they can’t just go to the SC. That’s not how the process works. It’s a sign of someone who is losing and doesn’t know what else to say. This was anticipated but it’s still shocking to hear this.”
Reiterating similar sentiments, Naeema Zaki, an American expat who has been a UAE resident for 10 years, has also been up until late on Wednesday night tracking the results closely.
She opines, “All the votes have not been counted and Trump’s statement is undemocratic. It’s not his decision, it’s the decision of the American people. So we have to sit back and wait and watch how it ultimately pans out.” Residents further averred Trump and his strategists have been laying the groundwork on this, for weeks now.
UAE resident Veit Mueller says, “there is a lot of uncertainty surrounding the US election results. But what President Trump has said about going to the country’s highest court as he considers the process to be fraudulent, is absolutely ‘inexcusable’.
There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding the US election results. But what President Trump has said about going to the country’s highest court as he considers the process to be fraudulent, is absolutely ‘inexcusable’.
Veit mueller, UAE resident