ARINDAM GANGULY, OP
Bhubaneswar: Members of the Odia diaspora in the United States have reacted with skepticism and hope over the decisive victory of Republican candidate Donald Trump over his Democrat rival Kamala Harris in the just-concluded presidential elections. The election sent the 78-year-old Trump to the White House, making him the first former president to return to office in more than 130 years. He also became the oldest person ever elected to the role.
Speaking to Orissa POST, Sadyasnata Pattanaik, a Chicago-based senior analyst, said, “I am very sad about the state of the country and the way in which we are going. I’m also scared for girls and women in my country. I’m still in shock. The American education system is broken and the social fabric is torn at the moment.” Sadyasnata said people in the US need to be prepared to witness some rollbacks in civil rights for women, the LGBTQ community, immigrants and other minorities after Trump assumes office. “I think we’ll see a rise in inflation and prices of goods; fewer regulations leading to more and more food-related bacteria outbreaks and much more. I think the fault lies with the Democratic Party. They did not campaign well due to lack of time. Harris only had a few months at her disposal. They were too fragmented and did not target who they needed to get votes from,” she added. She hoped that the Democrats will learn from the present mistakes and make the necessary amendments in the 2028 elections. “At least the silver lining is that Trump cannot run then!” Pattanaik said Swagatika Mohanty, a teacher in California, said voters in the 2024 presidential elections were looking for a change. “And for that change they looked back to former president Donald Trump. Trump made some inroads in policies which appealed to all citizens and immigrants as well,” she said, explaining the overwhelming support for Trump. “Even though there are a little bit of instabilities regarding immigration, I am still hoping for a great US presidential rule ahead,” she said. She said Trump continued to excel with some groups who have historically backed him, keeping his coalition largely intact. “The ability to lead and to be someone who can bring the needed change was the top two candidate qualities for voters — and Trump won them handily,” Swagatika added.
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Satya Pattanaik from Ohio said Trump’s win would bring back the economy and inflation on track. More importantly, he said, the change in guard in the White House would strengthen the India-US relationship. ”I personally voted for Trump. Last time, I voted for Hillary Clinton, though Trump won. But this time, I did not have trust in Harris over Trump. Harris is not experienced and matured enough to lead the country. In fact, I have not seen anything visible in the last four years. She has been active since a couple of months,” he said. Trump will be sworn in at the presidential inauguration January 20, 2025, at which point he will legally assume the power and responsibilities of the presidency.
