Exhaustion, disappointment, indifference at Eiffel Tower as U.S. voters head to polls

By GSS Correspondents at the American School of Paris

PARIS — On a cold Tuesday evening, Paris locals and tourists at Place du Trocadero conveyed their exhaustion, disappointment and indifference as the contentious U.S. presidential campaign between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump drew to a close.

Most of those interviewed said that if they had to vote, they would vote for Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump. Even so, many did not want to comment or express their concerns, hesitating to delve into the issues.

Some brought up what they called the inequality and injustice of the U.S. political system.

“Why is it only the rich who can run (in the United States)? ” asked Jean Cametto, 54, a French resident of Coubron, as he spread Nutella on a crêpe at his snack stand overlooking the Eiffel Tower. “Somebody who is not rich should be able to run.”

He added that he finds the American political system confusing: “There is no right or left. No socialism or communism.”

Many of those interviewed, who were not American, scoffed at the choices presented to U.S. voters, observing that neither candidate seemed like the best pick for the country.

“We think it could go either way,” said 19-year-old Georgia Marlin, of Australia. “But we want Hillary to win, for obvious reasons.” She did not clarify what those reasons were.

“Unfortunately, I think Trump will win because he is a showman,” said Nadia Frau, 34.  “However, I don’t think either candidate is good.”

When asked why Trump has gained so much momentum, a French resident named Mo, who refused to provide his last name, said that “There are more people who don’t like Hillary; most people will vote for Trump to spite her.”

He went on to compare Trump voters to U.K. citizens who recently voted to leave the European Union.

“Many people just voted in favor of Brexit without knowing what it actually was,” he said, “and then went home to Google it after they had voted.”

A woman named Mikaela, who said she was an Italian journalist but refused to give her last name, compared Donald Trump to the former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, 79, saying that “Donald Trump is the same but even worse.”

Berlusconi was known for his “bunga-bunga parties” and unorthodox behavior while in office, including being drunk in public and dry humping policewomen on the street.

A 46-year-old Australian man named Leigh, who refused to provide his last name, said “(Americans) will be losers either way.”

He found fault with both Trump and Clinton, and suggested that House Speaker Paul Ryan (D-Wisconsin) would have been a better choice for the Republican nomination. He also predicted that “if Hillary gets in, she’ll be impeached within two years.”

Overall, the general mood towards the U.S. presidential nominees was best summarized by Cametto, who said it was a choice between “le moins mal (the least evil).”

—Featured photo: Evening sets in at the Place du Trocadero in Paris as U.S. voters head to the polls.

This story was reported and written by Allegra Knox, Animesh Agrawal, Ioannis Sterckx, Sloane Valen, Luigi Maruani, Jessie Oscodar, Matthew Oscodar, Sarah Louise Justesen, Lenoy Christy and Jess Schot.