Tenatic Gonzalez Hernandez is originally from Jalisco, Mexico, but moved to Qatar 10 years ago for her father’s job. Though she is no longer geographically close to the United States, Gonzalez Hernandez remained invested in the country’s politics as the November 2024 General Elections approached. She has family living abroad in Dallas, Texas, and Chicago, Illinois.
“I don’t want them to get deported,” said Gonzalez Hernandez. “That makes things very tense.”
Gonzalez Hernandez is one of many people from around the world who watched the U.S. election closely even though they can’t cast a ballot. The Nov. 4 election outcome, they say, affects not only U.S. domestic policy but global issues such as immigration, climate change and armed conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. Some are amazed by the drama. Others are confused by the electoral college.
For Gonzalez Hernandez, the stakes are personal, but she is able to laugh. “It’s really interesting to see all the artists that Kamala [Harris] brings to her speeches,” she said. “It’s like an entertainment show…it’s just fun to watch.”
Monica Gonzalez, a SLU-Madrid alumnae from Ecuador, believes that neither presidential candidate is well-suited for the position they are vying for.
“The United States is full of talented, great-minded people that could bring so much to the country and the world,” said Gonzalez. “It is very unfortunate that none of them really [have] a shot [at] becoming president.”
But, if she was able to vote, Gonzalez would have voted for President-Elect Donald Trump, she said. She criticized his character and his “fraudulent acts,” but she endorsed his other abilities. “I believe that he would lead America in a better way,” Gonzalez said.
Lucia Palomo, a Spanish art history graduate, found the president-elect’s remarks “enraging.”
“I don’t see how he can win after making a billion comments, which have a billion different things wrong with them,” she said.
Palomo also believes Harris’s campaign makes “better sense,” but she said Harris tends to focus on a select few issues, and overall does not reflect the voices of the people.
Giovanni Ticozzelli of Italy criticized both candidates’ foreign policy stances. Vice President Kamala Harris didn’t distance herself enough from President Joe Biden’s support for Israel. “Her agenda stands with the war we are currently witnessing [in Israel and Gaza],” he said. But he worried a Trump win would hurt “other countries such as Ukraine.” But he praised Harris’s domestic policy.
“Her agenda stands with all human’s rights, especially women’s. And, well, Donald Trump’s agenda will take America back 50 years.”
Adela Corral, an international studies, political science and history major from Ecuador, feels equally as affected by the election as her American peers.
“I’m nervous, and I’m not even American,” said Corral. “They really need to sort their s*** out.”
