Personally, I’m trying to get around this by presenting a scenario where America goes to the voting booth without giving the rest of the world a panic attack.

27 October 2024, 12:00(Updated 12:01)

The US elections are less than two weeks away and, to put it unpresidentially, it’s doomsday. Polls are tight New York Times Put Vice President Kamala Harris one point ahead Donald Trump’s. Experts are starting to panic a little. Veteran pollster Nate Silver says his instincts tell him it will be Trump, but he adds: “I don’t think you should underestimate anyone’s instincts – including mine.”

Panic begins to set in among my group of politically savvy friends. Detailed numbers are flying around in group chats, showing margins that might suggest Trump will secure a second term. They may also indicate that Harris will snatch victory from the orange jaws of defeat. It’s really hard to say. I’ve never cared so much about Wisconsin before. (Sorry Wisconsinites – I’m sure your state is beautiful.)

When you watch US elections from abroad, you always encounter strange monsters. The time difference alone is enough to send you into the twilight zone—I remember staying up all night to watch President Barack Obama’s 2008 acceptance speech as the red, white, and blue flags in my college halls slowly peeled away from the ceiling in the morning light. But this year looks particularly worrying.

When Trump won in 2016, he was still a relative political novice. There was even hope that he could suppress his worst impulses once he took office. Nowadays we know not to expect anything better. His low-light reel is longer than a Martin Scorsese mob movie; what to choose? “Muslim ban”? Were you dismissed not once but twice? Refusing to acknowledge President Joe Biden’s 2020 victory and making claims of voter fraud? What about his behavior and threats during the campaign? prison reporters And prosecuting political rivalsClassic characteristics of an authoritarian standby?

The stakes have never been higher and this has a negative impact on us election observers abroad.

You can divide us into three camps: the anxious, the blindly optimistic, and the complacent. I know people who anxiously examine percentage differences in swing states and remain hopeful despite everything. I have friends who are devastated by the Biden administration’s abject failure to keep Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in check over Palestine and Lebanon, who are trying to shut down completely and failing because they can’t seem to disconnect from the news.

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Personally, I’m trying to tackle this by presenting a scenario in which America gets to the voting booth without giving the rest of the world a panic attack. “I have decided to exist in a world where Kamala Harris wins by a landslide,” a friend texted me.

The pain of watching the presidential race as a spectator is that you constantly feel like you’re watching a car crash in slow motion. This is not a disaster you can control, but it is definitely one that will affect your own vehicle. It can even create a domino effect that sets the next car on fire, and before you know it – oops, the entire highway is in flames and you’re trying to crawl out of your hatchback before it explodes.

A little too dramatic? Maybe. But there’s something about American politics that has always felt bigger than Britain’s, and that keeps me and my friends hooked.

It gives politicians permission to use grandiloquent phrases like “sea to shining sea.” In the UK such a stand would have you laughing at the letterbox. Brits cling to quaint traditions like the Black Rod and are relieved that even our top candidates have to stand next to Lord Buckethead in drafty school gyms on election night. At this year’s Democratic National Convention, Democrats featured performances by John Legend and Lil Jon; Dr Brian Cox’s former group are debating whether Keir Starmer is. can go on stage To a song released in 1993. The last time he showed real star power in the race for No 10, Stormzy was appearing in place of Jeremy Corbyn – and even then it wasn’t until he performed “Vossi Bop” outside Labor Party HQ. .

Of course, my concerns are nothing compared to what people in America are feeling right now. According to a new study from the American Psychological Association, seven out of 10 people They say the future of their nation is now a major source of stress in their lives.

I was working for generallyTrump won last time, a US-based feminist publication reported. The day after the election, my colleagues reported that people burst into spontaneous tears on the subway, and someone cried hysterically next to the office copier. We were prepared for something Hillary Clinton won; We unceremoniously trashed our content and posted a GIF of a dumpster in flames as our interpretation of the outcome.

Will there be another dumpster fire this November? I don’t know if my heart or my blood pressure can handle this. And if Trump wins, it could be argued that American democracy won’t win either.

Zing Tsjeng is a journalist, non-fiction writer and podcaster