Dubai: A hush fell over American expatriates at a US Election Breakfast in Dubai hosted on Wednesday by the American Business Council when it became clear Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump had taken the White House.
While official numbers remained elusive, with some full state election counts still out, the end for the Democratic Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton seemed undeniable when CNN news channel broadcast live feed of Democratic chairman John Podesta telling supporters at Democratic party headquarters in Manhattan to go home.
Watching on the big screen at the Dubai breakfast, some appeared to lose their appetite, while Trump supporters were all smiles.
American expats attending a similar US election breakfast at the Capital Club in DIFC across town early Wednesday were equally surprised at the outcome, said organisers.
The surreal ending mirrored one of the strangest election campaigns in history leaving election breakfast patrons stunned as plates and coffee mugs were cleared from linen-clad tables.
Bilal Sabouni, CEO of the American Business Council, took it all in stride noting that whatever the outcome, American expatriates would support their new president.
The business council represents 700 American businesses and employees in the UAE who make up part of an estimated 55,000 US expats living in the country.
“As a council, we will support the democratic process. We will support a GOP president and also support his policy,” said Sabouni.
American expatriate Alexander Arquhart said at the breakfast that he didn’t think Trump was the right man for the job.
He said that “Trump stands for nothing … he’s incapable of governing a country.”
The Trump results were not what he expected, he said, because “all early poll results looked like it was going Clinton’s way.”
Across town at the Capital Club breakfast, ticketholders were in disbelief that Trump’s numbers were clearly trouncing lead-up polls to election day that favoured Clinton by a comfortable margin.
Noor Nanji, Director of Communications at Capital Club, said people in the crowd of roughly 150 people taking in the event seemed stunned that Trump had carried long-held Democratic states to win.
“Most were in shock at the early results. What was expected to be an easy Hillary Clinton victory showed Trump leading in states unheard of for a Republican candidate,” Nanji said. “There was some grumbling, sarcastic humour concealing genuine tension in the room and feelings of uncertainty.”
