Donald Trump is facing the loss of the midterm elections. Putin is concerned the results will affect Trump’s ‘peacemaking’ in Ukraine, while former president Barack Obama expresses on X that ‘Americans want politics that brings people together rather than divides them’.
Oxford residents react with both hope and concerns.
Alex Newton, 50, works in the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford and has followed the runups to the midterm elections in the US. For Newton, this is the first good news day in a while.
“It feels like a shift”, he says. Even though it is not easy to know where it’s going, Newton believes this is good news for the world. “It will change what Trump can and cannot do. I am optimistic that this will change politics and the way the UK responds to the US, and that Andy Burnham will be more open to rejecting Trump’s ideology, which is a good thing”, Newton says. He believes Trump is a difficult man to deal with, and that it is now time for a change.
The Democrats won over the Republicans with 54 seats in the Senate, and 237 seats in House.
Australian friends Rubey Philip, 22, and Lauren Gilmour, 21, are visiting Oxford and have been following parts of the midterm election. “It’s a good turn of events”, Gilmour says.
Philip, on the other hand, lived in the US earlier this year and talked to Americans on how the election impacts the rest of the world. “The ones I talked to did not really seem to understand how their election could impact other countries. We are invested in the election, because it impacts us, as well”, she says.
Gilmour is clear on the fact that the outcome affects the relationship between world leaders, trading and ongoing conflicts. The Australians agree that the last two years have been scary, and believe that the November results are good for everyone. They add that “it’s important to have partnerships with people that you can work well with”.
Aisha Alaran, 30, is studying at Oxford University and has vaguely followed the election and is feeling hopeful. “The lean towards the left, democrat side which includes minorities makes me happy, although it doesn’t necessarily mean that there will be sudden changes”, Alaran says.
She hopes the Democrat victory will eventually contribute to movements that could help the Palestinian people and immigration policies in the UK. Alaran also says that “it is great to see brave politicians that fight for everyday life and people”.
Luke Corey, 21, is also a student at Oxford, and has followed the US elections closely, mainly in Texas, Michigan and Maine. Texas got their first Democrat to win the state’s Senate since 1988, where James Talarico won over republican Ken Paxton.
“I’m very pleased with the results, and the seats the Democrats lost were tough odds” Corey says.
He is hopeful for the future, but is not sure about how much the Democrats will be able to get done. “At least it’s pushing the country in the right direction”, he says, while being clear about the fact that it might not affect the UK much. “This might be the time people start distancing themselves from Trump, rather than kissing his shoe”, Corey says.