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Australians join Americans to watch US election results unfold in Harris, Trump supporter parties

2024.11.06

In short:

Americans and Australians alike have converged in Sydney pubs to watch the US election results.

At the Kamala Harris support party, US citizens said they were excited at the prospect of a first female president.

Trump supporters down the road played bar games and eagerly watched television coverage.  

Anthony Roy cast his first ever vote in the US election, and now, watching on from a Sydney pub, he is eagerly awaiting the results from the other side of the world.

The 18-year-old politics student sent his mail ballot in October and said he was excited to "see how my own vote affected the election".

"My interest was really caused by the 2020 election after what was a very eventful cycle," Mr Roy said.

"I think this election is a good time to get my first one in."

Mr Roy attended an event in the CBD in support of presidential nominee Kamala Harris, and personally voted for the Democrats in the "very close race" in his hometown of Texas.

Americans living overseas are not likely to vote, with less than 8 per participating in the 2020 election.

Attendees snapped shots with a cut-out of Ms Harris, donned merch and eagerly watched live coverage of the unfolding results at the Kent Street Hotel.

Fellow American Lachelle Uzchteguigaymon knows most US elections are hailed as "important" but said today marked the potential for history to be made.

 "To have a Black female president in my lifetime [would be] a blessing. I can tell my daughter who is 13, 'Look, you can get there'," she said.

"I have hope and I have a dream, and my dream is that by the end of the night she will be the frontrunner."

'Wish you all the best, brother'

A Republican event was held down the road at a bar that did not want to be identified.

A growing number of guests sat glued in front of the screens with a sign endorsing Donald Trump hovering above.

Many played bar games while they waited for the results of key battleground states.

Almost no supporters were American-born, with the majority being Australians keen to show their support for Trump.

Nicholai Walker, an Australian-Ukrainian with a keen interest in geopolitics, attended the event.

"Whenever America catches a cold, the world sneezes … fundamentally they are the head of the Anglosphere," Mr Walker said.

"If the United States falters, our position in the world is not going to be the best."

 who he met at a political rally.

Mr Walker said there was nuance to the conversation and sympathised with parts of both campaigns.

"In terms of this election, I agree with the foreign policy of Kamala Harris, not the social policies.

"We need to have a strong NATO alliance, but also we need to get behind Trump in terms of the social policies," he said of abortion and immigration.

"I'm just here for the boys, for the lads, for Donald Trump, Donny Trump — wish you all the best brother," his friend Jay added.