The history of the United States gets a new chapter on Wednesday when a new President is sworn into the Oval Office after one of the most divisive election campaigns in living memory. Mathias Balslev has been speaking to American expats here in Notts on their (very different) views.
David Litsch was raised in St. Louis, Missouri and lived there for most of his life before settling down in Southwell with his English wife.
Although now retired and planning to stay in the UK, he has still cast a postal vote.
“I am voting for Trump because he wants the right things for America – he wants to change things in Washington, clean things up,” he says.
“Polls are saying it is a tight race but I think Trump will come out ahead.”
David recently got back from visiting Missouri and says the people there are more in favour of the Republican candidate.
“When you speak to people and from the things you read on social media, Trump looks a clear winner.”
Some polls have the two candidates only two percentage points apart – but British voters know just how wrong these can be.
There is little doubt who has the greater experience in Washington as Hilary’s entire career has focused on politics.
But like many other Americans, Trump’s business side is a strong selling point for David.
“If you take Trump for his word he is a business man, he is a negotiator, he gets things done.
“Trump strongly appeals to the middle class business owner because they respect what he has done in his career.
“And the middle class is suffering in America, insurance costs are a big thing and right now it’s too expensive.
“My son pays $1,200 a month in insurance and he says it still doesn’t cover anything. That is a lot of money and really stretches you financially.”
Clinton’s political history was not a selling point for David either.
“A lot of people like Trump because he is not a politician, he is something fresh with a different approach.
“He has his heart in the right place, he wants to change America for the better. The country needs change.”
The Missourian has never been a die-hard supporter of any of the parties and believes voters need to look at both candidates in-depth before making a decision.
“I have always voted for whoever I feel is the best candidate.
“The democrats want to keep giving things away and the Republicans want to stop the decline this country is in.”
According to David, Hilary Clinton will not bring much change from the current Obama regime.
“Hilary Clinton wants open borders and to continue Obama’s Obamacare.
“This is a strong country but the candidates are getting weaker and weaker, we need someone who can change things.”
Stephanie Palmer was raised in Ohio before moving around the US to places like New York, Chicago and Ann Arbor, Michigan.
A few years back she took up a job at an English-speaking University in Turkey, teaching American Literature before making her way to the UK to teach American Literature at Nottingham Trent University.
“I want to vote for a candidate that actually stands a chance of winning over any of the independent candidates,” she said.
Although she agrees with more of Hilary Clinton’s policies she does not necessarily think that Donald Trump as president will have an entirely negative impact.
“A lot of people find their voice in Trump, he speaks to people who have a hard time finding jobs and who feel betrayed by the American government.
“It is interesting to see how Hilary Clinton has moved more to the left in order to acclimatise to the popularity of Bernie Sanders.”
And by Wednesday morning she does expect a democrat to still be in office.
“She is more seasoned in politics, which I think will really benefit her, she knows how things work and she will actually be able to get things through.
“Some people in the US think Clinton feels entitled to be the next US president because of her achievements in politics.”
Obamacare, the US healthcare system, similar to National Insurance, is a hot topic in this US election and also splits the two candidates and in many ways the American people.
“A lot of people over here don’t understand why so many Americans are against Obamacare,” adds Stephanie.
“In the US there is a different mindset when it comes to taking care of others. People are more focused on the ‘me’ than on the ‘us’.
“Many voters feel as though they are wasting their money to take care of someone else instead of using that money to take care of themselves.
Being from a swing state like Ohio, like Stephanie, brings heightened attention to the election wherever you go.
“My family back home constantly receive phone calls and flyers about who to vote for, they are fed up and disgusted with the election at this point,” she says.
As an American Literature teacher, Stephanie finds that the conversation in her classes often turns to politics.
“Some of my students praised the American electoral system after the primaries but I still feel the system is not fair. You need a lot of money to run for president so essentially you can only have rich nominees.
“The whole election process is really quite fascinating, it is a long, exhausting process and candidates go from being more left and right leaning to more centred in their political policies.”
The emergence of Donald Trump in the United States has been met by mostly negative comment in Europe but as Stephanie reiterates, this phenomenon isn’t uncommon on this continent either.
“You have to take a step back and realise right-leaning politics are a common trend in Europe too. Countries like France, the UK and Denmark have all seen right wing parties surge in voters.”
The election takes place Tuesday night UK time, with a result expected late Wednesday morning.
