Virgin Islands divided over Trump win

After a divisive campaign season tainted by mudslinging and racism allegations, Donald Trump won back the United States presidency at 6:34 a.m. Wednesday, handily defeating Vice President Kamala Harris and ending a historic candidacy that could have made her the first US president of Caribbean descent and the first female president.

Here in the Virgin Islands, where the race has been closely watched in recent weeks, reactions ranged widely.

Many residents have expressed dismay over Mr. Trump’s xenophobic comments, habitual lies, criminal record and climate-change denial, but others speculate that he will grow the economy and therefore bolster the health of the territory’s US-dependent financial services and tourism industries.

Farmer and aspiring politician Jahnai Caul told the Beacon Wednesday that he wasn’t surprised that the US had elected a man who has been portrayed as “one of the greatest subverters” of democracy.

“The change in the democratic nature of our global politics has shown that people are now gravitating towards a new style of politics exerted by political figures like Trump, where someone who was once seen as a threat to democracy is now embraced as a catalyst to change,” Mr. Caul said.

Donald Trump speaks to supporters early Wednesday morning as it became clear he would win the United States presidential election. (Photo: DONALD TRUMP/FACEBOOK)

The election result, he added, should make this territory take a closer look at its own politics.

“For the Virgin Islands, it will cause us to take a deeper look at the leadership styles of our present, former and future premiers,” he said, adding, “This new nature of democracy exerted by Trump and Trump-like political figures continues to resonate within the sociopolitical minds of our world’s nations.”

‘Conservative community’

Colin O’Neal, an attorney and CEO of JOMA Properties in Road Town, told the Beacon Wednesday that the VI is a largely “conservative community” of people likely to support the values of the Republican Party.

However, he added that that such support doesn’t necessarily translate into support for Mr. Trump himself.

“While we have a vested interest [in the election], in many instances, Republican policies are more in line with that of the VI,” Mr. O’Neal said.

“In the past, there has been more pressure from Democratic administrations rather than Republican ones. That being said, the effect to the VI wouldn’t be detrimental.”

Kamala Harris delivers her concession speech. (Screenshot: FACEBOOK)

Election night in the VI

Shortly before results began rolling in on Tuesday evening, only one Road Town bar out of eight visited by this reporter was broadcasting the election news.

At Bamboushay Restaurant and Lounge, CNN was splashed across three televisions, but few patrons appeared interested in what the polished political pundits might have to say.

Restaurant owner Eldred Williams, however, had his eyes fixed on one of the mute screens hanging above his bar.

For him, this year’s US election was characterised by a slower-than-usual week for business, he said, speculating that tourists stayed home to vote.

“I feel like if today wasn’t an election, you would have more people, more tourists on the island,” Mr. Williams said.

He added that he was supporting Ms. Harris.

“She has roots from the Caribbean, number one,” Mr. Williams said. “Number two: I think she’s more stable and the other guy is too — I’m nervous with him because the things he said, I think he can create problems. I hope not.”

Immigration policies

Nearby, a group of Filipino men watched the election coverage while they ate dinner.

A group of Filipino residents watched election coverage as they ate on Tuesday evening at Bamboushay Restaurant and Lounge. (Photo: RUSHTON SKINNER)

One of them, Jai Reynosa, speculated that Mr. Trump may soften immigration from the Philippines to the US.

“Maybe Trump is good for the Filipinos,” Mr. Reynosa said, adding that obtaining permission to work in the US is not easy. “We need easy access to the American visas, something like that.”

But Mr. Trump’s recent rhetoric — which has included false allegations about immigrants eating their pets — suggests that he will crack down on immigration by beefing up border security and deporting undocumented workers.

Economy

Yacht captain Darren Fry, a United Kingdom national and long-time VI resident, supported Mr. Trump in a Facebook post yesterday morning, sparking a heated online debate and a few sharp insults.

Mr. Fry told the Beacon that his life here links him to the US even though he is not an American.

“My money in the [BVI] is in US dollars,” Mr. Fry said. “Therefore, it’s important that the [US] does well, because there’s a cascade effect that follows, especially with the economy and the US dollar.”

In Road Town yesterday morning, an American visitor who asked to be identified only as “Judy” said she has been coming to the territory for 38 years.

She spent election night at Sebastian’s on the Beach, where Fox News broadcast the results to a crowd she said appeared to favour Mr. Trump.

“I was not surprised at all,” the Florida voter said about the win. “It was a groundswell from all sides.”

Donald Trump supporters cheer early Wednesday morning in Michigan. (Photo: DONALD TRUMP/FACEBOOK)

Not everyone was following the drama so closely.

Patrick Smith, a student life officer at H. Lavity Stoutt Community College, said yesterday that he sensed the outcome, but he declined to say which of the candidates he supported.

“Don’t really care for politics,” Mr. Smith said. “I knew Trump would win.”

Lead-up to election

In the days leading up to the election, media coverage predicted a close race with key battleground states potentially taking days to count all the votes as occurred four years ago.

Instead, Mr. Trump won with a comfortable margin by securing 277 of the 538 electoral college votes with a win in Wisconsin. He needed only 270.

In a victory that will boost Mr. Trump’s power, his Republican Party also wrested control of the Senate from Democrats in the Tuesday election.

It may also maintain control of the House of Representatives, with votes still being tabulated as of Beacon press time yesterday afternoon.

Campaigns

During the campaign, Mr. Trump focused largely on promises to “make America great again” by cutting taxes, restricting foreign trade, and cracking down on immigration violations.

Ms. Harris, who announced her candidacy on July 21 after President Joe Biden agreed to step aside, ran on a platform centred around an “opportunity economy” that she said would focus on improving the lives of working- and middle-class families.

Ms. Harris’ official platform offered significantly more detail at 82 pages, compared to the Trump campaign’s 16 pages.