An unshakeable feeling of dread: the view from Americans in Scotland

But why is this? And what are other Americans in Scotland saying from across the political spectrum?

Uma Karunakaran, 21, a third-year student from Virginia at the University of Glasgow, changed her outlook on the election after Kamala Harris became the new Democratic candidate. She said: “Back in June, I was worried more than anything. Now, I feel more hopeful.”

Abortion rights are particularly important to Uma in this election. The topic has been hotly contested since the Supreme Court turned over the power to regulate abortion to individual states in 2022, resulting in many states to ban the procedure.

Ruth Lundi, 62, a Wisconsin resident living in Dundee, is an ardent Democrat from a family of Trump supporters. She said: “I’m heartbroken that half my countrymen believe Trump will be a good president on any level. Most of my family are Trump supporters. At this point, it’s not a political difference, it's a difference in morals and values. It’s no longer politics any more. It’s personal.”

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Ruth moved to Scotland for her job in the energy industry and quickly vowed to never return to the United States. She lauds Scotland’s work-life balance, health care, and public transit.

Many Americans in Scotland, like Ruth, are happy to be here. They also tend to lean to the left when it comes to elections. According to Democrats Abroad, 77.65% of voters using the voting tool on votefromabroad.org registered as left leaning from 2020 to April of 2024.

Not all Americans in Scotland are of the same mind. Abigail, a California resident who lives in Dunkeld, is a registered Republican and Trump-voter. Self-described as “not a cookie-cutter Republican,” Abigail was quick to say she didn’t think Trump was the best person to lead the party, but cast her ballot regardless, saying she voted “for the party, not the man.” Abigail is concerned about inflation and the housing prices among other domestic concerns like immigration. She wants a president who “leads the country to a better place” and wasn’t convinced that Kamala Harris was the woman for the job. Above all, Abigail echoed a frustration that many of us have, regardless of political preference: she was tired of political division and felt the US had “forgotten who we are.”

It’s disorienting to speak to Democrats and Republicans who report the same feeling of dread, yet have different ideas about how we arrived in the same mess and how to get out of it. I was recently on the phone with a relative who was concerned about the election result leading to World War Three. I shared the fear - but we disagreed on which candidate might spark the nuclear apocalypse. Being in Scotland makes it easier. The discourse is quieter and farther removed.

Dr Oli Charbonneau, lecturer of American History at the University of Glasgow, has been observing these tensions play out among his US students. He said: “The abiding feeling I get from my students is exhaustion. Some have expressed gratitude that they’re over here rather than the United States. Even though it’s still loud, over here you can watch it while being removed. It’s reached a fever pitch in the US. Even for someone raised in that culture, it can be quite overwhelming.”

The difference in political climate can be hard for Scots to understand. Colleagues often ask me, bemused, “But people don’t actually like Trump, right?” as if the tensions they observe overseas are not what they’re chalked up to be. But the election is shaping up to be a neck-in-neck race, complete with all the mudslinging, insurrection, and culture wars us Americans have grown wearily used to.

Dr Charbonneau continued: “Political discourse in the US is amplified compared to the UK. The violence that comes along with that is unusual as well. You wouldn’t see that in a British election.”

I admit I was surprised when I watched Rishi Sunak somberly concede defeat to Keir Starmer’s Labour Party in July of this year. Sometimes I forget the US is unique among Western countries in its increasingly popular stance on election denial. Donald Trump and his running mate J.D. Vance have yet to affirm the results of the 2020 election.

Dr Fabian Hilfrich, senior lecturer of US History at the University of Edinburgh highlighted this growing wave division in the United States. He said: “I think people are worried about how irreconcilable the political climate has become. There are moments in political history where one side sees the other as evil and against their way of life. We are at that moment now.”

Some Americans I spoke to were not comfortable sharing their political preferences, reflecting the environment Dr Hilfrich mentioned. Kennedy Pollard, the president of the American and British society at the University of Glasgow, is from a small town in Tennessee where she said “every house has a gun”.

She said: “I would never tell my parents if I voted for Kamala and I would never tell my peers at school if I voted for Donald Trump. There’s no one I can vote for and not get looked down on by someone. My vote is between me and the US federal government.”

Americans must seem hopelessly divided and silly to Scots. Where there should be a clear front-runner to much of Europe, America is not on the same page. Dr Hilfrich added: “Scotland and Europe share the same vantage point. There are worries about what Trump would do as President. He’s loosely said in the past: encouraged Putin to attack Europe, he might not honour Article 5 of the Nato treaty. I think most non-Americans outside the United States are wondering how and why this race can even be close.”

Americans in Scotland subsequently find themselves battling stereotypes, especially around election time when the US is on the global stage more than ever. This was reiterated by Kennedy, who said some classmates would call Americans who voted for Trump or Biden “idiots” - a perspective she described as “belittling.”

Donald Trump and Kamla Harris during their televised debate in September (Image: PA)

She continued: “Those voters are my friends and family. There’s a broad stereotype about Americans being stupid and not westernised. I wish Scots knew we are also embarrassed. These two candidates we’ve got down to don’t represent what the country wants. Kamala didn’t even win the primaries.”

Uma shared a similar experience: “I get people that are surprised that I can be well-spoken and American at the same time. It disrupts the preconceptions people have.”

Regardless of assumptions, there seems to be a marked fascination among Scots in the American election. Abigail said her Scottish neighbours in Dunkeld are “eager to tell me their take” on US politics, something she occasionally found frustrating.

She said: “If you don’t have experience living in America and know people who are actively impacted by policies, it’s a funny comment. It would be like an American commenting on Brexit. We need to stay in our lanes a bit more.”

However, other Americans see it as natural considering how much US policies can impact the entire world. Julia Pancer, 20, a New Jersey resident studying in Edinburgh, is launching a Democrats Abroad branch at the University with her friend Ilenia Willmert, 19. Julia reported that even non-American students have shown investment in the US presidential race. She said: “When people show interest in our stall, I ask everyone if they’re an American citizen. A lot of people have said, ‘No but I wish I was, because I wish I could vote in this election.’

“It’s such a privilege to be able to vote in American elections and determine the outcome, because America does impact what happens globally. It affects everyone all over the world.”

Nicholas Malizia is freelance journalist from New Jersey based in Edinburgh