One moment that will stay with me forever occurred the day after the election, when I was talking with a few American classmates, here in DC.
One asked the other: “So, were you stocked up on election night?”
The other responded casually, “Not this time. I left my assault rifle in the cupboard – didn’t think I’d need it.”
The nonchalance with which my fellow students spoke about carrying a weapon in case of political violence shocked me. The deep sense of uncertainty that many Americans felt during this election, when political violence and unrest was a real concern, is something we hope we would never have to contemplate in the UK.
But the fear of political violence was not just a local concern. January 6 cast doubt on the security of global democratic institutions – even in America, a country so dedicated to the concept.
In the days leading up to the election, both the University of Edinburgh and George Washington University sent me emails warning students to stay alert and avoid areas where violence could erupt. I also received messages from friends and family back home, urging me to be careful, just in case.
It was sobering and more than a little frightening. Yet throughout the election process, there was also a certain thrill of experiencing just how different politics is in the US.
In the week before the election, I joined seventy-five thousand people gathered in front of the White House to hear Kamala Harris speak at her last rally of the 2024 presidential election.
The buzz in the air at the rally, the sea of campaign signs, flags fluttering from thousands of outstretched arms, an almost tangible feeling of being part of history – it was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced in the UK.
Harris’ vocal defence of women’s rights drew her the largest cheers of the night by far. The fear of what the other side could do to restrict abortion rights served as a clear driver of commonality between her supporters, and a clear source of division for those who favour Trump.
The fervour at the rally made it clear to me that in the US, elections aren’t just about policies – they are about identity and unity, a unity increasingly defined in opposition to the other side. You are either proudly red, or proudly blue, there is no in-between. If you are even mildly engaged with the political process, you show it. The familiar names of the presidential candidates cover campaign signs in windows and gardens, brandished on colourful car bumper stickers, with their faces paraded on hats and shirts of everyday people, sold en masse at every street corner. I could not imagine anyone casually wearing a t-shirt with Keir Starmer’s face on it at home.
In the wake of the election results, the remnants of other kinds of fear are everywhere. Political violence, or the threat of it, is something rarely contemplated in the UK, where the peaceful transition of power is cornerstone to both our national and devolved parliaments – a principle we assume to be fundamental in democracies worldwide.
Yet walking the streets near my accommodation in the capital, it was clear that this mindset isn’t taken for granted here anymore. In the week leading up to election day, thick wooden boards went up over glass-fronted shops to protect properties in case of rioting – an unsettling reminder of the fear that violence could erupt if one side rejected the election’s outcome. An anxiety stemming directly from the lasting impact the insurrection had on DC; a stark demonstration of how fragile the democratic norms in the United States have become.
When interviewing BBC Presenter Clive Myrie for The Student on election night, he said “the whole world’s eyes are on this place.” It’s incredible how true his words are. The US election has huge impacts across the globe, and consequently the whole world is watching. There is no other election which is followed so closely by those unable to vote in it.
Following Harris’ defeat, the atmosphere on campus was a mix of shock and despair. George Washington University is known for its politically engaged student body, boasting the largest college chapter of Democrats in the country. Hundreds of students regularly attended political debates and watch parties hosted the party’s student group in the run up to the election, clinging to the hope that their side would win. Yet, despite this enthusiasm, no one had anticipated such a significant loss for Harris.
For many that I’ve spoken to in DC, post-election the fear is now not political violence, but the worry of further encroachments on reproductive freedom. With the reality of a convicted felon holding the presidency, the question remains: where does America go from here?
Photo by Finlay Macdonell