Daniel Hill said he could not believe Donald Trump won the 2016 presidential election against Hillary Clinton. The England native is a foreign exchange student at the U of M, a member of fraternity Sigma Alpha Epsilon and a volunteer in the study abroad program.
“I personally don’t like him at all,” the 21-year-old mechanical engineering major said. “Most of his performances and antics are all for show, not politics.”
Hill even said his family and friends’ reactions were that they were “terrified” and “extremely scared.”
“I’m worried about where this country is going forward,” Hill said.
Various world leaders have also chipped in and made statements about Trumps victory over Clinton, according to BBC.com. Both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping congratulated Trump on his victory.
Putin said he was “ready to fully restore ties with the United States.” He added that he is “looking forward to working with the new U.S administration and push forward a stable relationship between the two countries,” according to the BBC report.
Leaders like Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised continuing close relationships with America. Trudeau said Canada has “no closer friend, partner and ally than the U.S.”Still, French President Francois Hollande said Trump’s win “opens a period of uncertainty,” and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto congratulated the U.S. “for its electoral process,” but did not mention Trump’s name directly.
British Prime Minister Theresa May said she looks forward to working with President-elect Trump, to “ensure the security and prosperity of our nations in the years ahead,” but Hill isn’t convinced that will be the case.
“If you take his words seriously, I think he is going to separate the U.S from the rest of the world,” Hill said. “That’s going to cut off foreign relations and send this country into another economic crisis.”
English and psychology major Gerrit Ku said he doesn’t think Trump has a “great knowledge of foreign countries.”
“He could potentially offend others without even trying,” the 23-year-old German native said. “It’s hard to predict how he would interact with other countries, but knowing him, he could cut off foreign relations without even trying.”
According to BBC.com, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she “watched the election result with particular suspense,” adding that results of American elections have “importance far beyond the U.S.A.” She also said “for us Germans, other than with the European Union, we have no deeper connection than with the United States of America.”
Meanwhile, Ku said he is still processing Trump’s win. The study abroad volunteer and international soccer team member thought the whole announcement was a prank.
“I was pretty much in shock,” Ku said. “I thought it was some kind of big joke they were playing on us. It was unbelievable to me. My parents felt the same. It is taking some time to sink in.”
Ku also said he had long phone conversations with his brother and friends back home.
“My brother wanted me to explain to him how this happened,” Ku said. “He thought this whole thing couldn’t be serious. I had friends from back home asking me if I would return. I told them if Trump doesn’t kick me out, I’ll stay here.”
Alina Rosenbaueris also a native of Germany. The 21-year-old public relations major said she felt “numb” after hearing the news.
“I was just shocked,” she said. “I’m totally against him, so I just wondered what would make someone vote for him. I just asked how did this happen?”
Rosenbauer said her family and friends from back home were just as surprised. “They were texting me all night asking me how this happened,” she said.
Rosenbauer hopes the country can stick together after Trump’s election.
“You can’t believe everything he says,” she said. “I just hope we are able to work out solutions.”
Ku is unsure about Trump’s plans.
“After everything he has said about immigrants and foreigners in general, I don’t know what to think,” he said. “I just hope he doesn’t go down the road of forcing them out of the country.”
