'Our country is extremely divided': Democrats Abroad react to U.S. Election results

Jacob Wesoky, vice chair for Democrats Abroad Canada, speaks with Alberta Primetime host Michael Higgins about the 2024 U.S. Election and the future of the Democratic Party.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Michael Higgins: What's your read on why so many Americans put their trust in Trump?

Jacob Wesoky: It's clear that Donald Trump won this election, fair and square. We're not going to deny any election results. It's part of the democratic process. I strongly disagree with the result, but it was the result, and I'm going to respect that.

I think a lot of people supported Trump because fear mongering is, unfortunately, dangerous but it's a very effective campaign strategy. Donald Trump really played into people's fears and played into the divisions we have in our country and really exploited those to his own benefit.

I think that that really showed with the amount of votes that he got on such a divisive and hateful platform. The number one reason is fear mongering plain and simple.

MH: What does that say about the effort your party put forward? Why did Kamala Harris and the Democratic Party miss the mark?

JW: You're going to see a lot of what-went-wrong analysis over the next month or so but I think that the number one thing is just: our country is extremely divided.

I think that Kamala Harris was and is an extremely bright, qualified candidate and I think there may have been some difficulties communicating how stark the contract was between her and Donald Trump.

But at the same time, she ran her campaign in three months in what's usually a two-year process. Given all of the challenges, I think she ran a very, very good campaign. And again, I'm disappointed, but that's, what the American people chose.

MH: What comes of Donald Trump returning to the Oval Office? How much does a second Trump presidency differ from maybe the first?

JW: There's a lot that could happen. I'm hoping for the sake of America and the sake of the world that most of it doesn't happen, but based on his actions, his words, his past statements, and also based on the people that have worked most closely with him in his first administration, it could be a disaster.

He's trying to undermine our democratic institutions, he has incited violence against journalists, incited violence against his political opponents, said he'd be a dictator on day one. And I really hope, for the sake of the United States, for the sake of democracy, that he is not a dictator on day one. I hope our checks and balances can control that and I hope our democratic system is strong enough to withstand blatant attacks on our democratic institutions.

MH: Is it not possible that Trump could surprise critics, bring good governance to the White House, improve the fortunes of your nation?

JW: I hope that it is possible because all I want is good governance. I want our country to keep moving forward and not be focused on the past.

If his actions, his words, his platform, his close allies, the people he surrounds with himself with are any indication of what his second presidency will look like, then that doesn't seem like that will be the case.

MH: Are there lessons you feel we as Canadians could take away from the outcome of this election?

JW: I think the number one thing is try not to give into fear. I think it's a universal message that compassion and kindness and unity is a good philosophy to have.

Unfortunately, that's not what the American people chose. I think that we have a lot to learn but at the end of the day, we're all people and we need to respect that, and respect each other, and respect each other’s differences.

MH: What comes of leadership within your party now?

JW: I will defer that to the Democratic Party themselves, to Kamala Harris and Joe Biden and the (Democratic National Committee) leadership.

Kamala Harris definitely did usher in a new generation of leadership and I'm hoping that continues and I'm hoping we get young leaders.

We saw down the ballot there was still some good news, some positive history making happening. We got Josh Stein winning the governorship in North Carolina. For the first time ever, there'll be two black women serving in the Senate at the same time: Lisa Blunt Rochester in Delaware and Angela Alsobrooks in Maryland.

So there are some snippets of good news and I think that our democracy, for now, is still strong and I'm hoping it stays that way.