South Yorkshire ex-pats' fears over Trump victory

South Yorkshire ex-pats now living in America are increasingly nervous about the prospect of President Donald Trump.
Joanne and Ben Palmer, who are originally from North Anston, near Rotherham, but now living in California.Joanne and Ben Palmer, who are originally from North Anston, near Rotherham, but now living in California.
Joanne and Ben Palmer, who are originally from North Anston, near Rotherham, but now living in California.

John and Zena Thorpe, aged 80 and 78, originally from Beighton and Mosborough respectively, now live in LA.

They have been living in California since 1963 – moving out just weeks before Kennedy was shot.

John and Zena Thorpe, aged 80 and 78, originally from Beighton and MosboroughJohn and Zena Thorpe, aged 80 and 78, originally from Beighton and Mosborough
John and Zena Thorpe, aged 80 and 78, originally from Beighton and Mosborough
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They have four children, one born in South Yorkshire and the others in the US.

John said he would be voting for Hillary Clinton in what he described as the ‘most exciting election’ he could remember in the US.

“Trump is a loose cannon. He would be disastrous. He could cause World War III,” he said.

“He is totally in it for self-gratification and building his financial empire.

John and Zena Thorpe, aged 80 and 78, originally from Beighton and MosboroughJohn and Zena Thorpe, aged 80 and 78, originally from Beighton and Mosborough
John and Zena Thorpe, aged 80 and 78, originally from Beighton and Mosborough
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“I don’t think Hillary is evil in any way – she makes mistakes, she is human.

“She has got the American people’s interests at heart.”

John said his favourite American president has been Bill Clinton.

“It was a total disaster financially for this country after Reagan. But Bill Clinton left office with a surplus,” he said.

“Then GW Bush spent it all in Iraq.

“As for Obama, I have loved him. He brought a touch of class to the White House.”

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Other Brits worrying about the possibility of a Trump win are Joanne and Ben Palmer, originally from North Anston, near Sheffield, but now living in California.

They have been in the States for around three years, having previously lived in Canada since leaving England in 2011.

Joanne, 33, assistant director of financial aid at the University of California, Riverside, said many students who come from Mexico are ‘terrified’ at the prospect of a Trump presidency and what it will mean for them and their families.

She said the media has had a part in play in Trump’s rise to the verge of becoming president due to the level of coverage he has received in the past year.

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“They were focusing on him constantly. But now there is a realisation he could really be president.

“The media have a lot to blame for giving him so much publicity – everything he says and does is on the news. It is constantly in your face.

“When people talk about it they laugh, but some of those people are going to vote for him.

“When you talk to other British people, it really confuses us as to why he has this following.

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“I can’t see this happening in Britain – that someone as narcissistic as Donald Trump would get this far.”

She said she has a far more positive view of Hillary Clinton.

“I think she is sensible and her policies are sensible policies,” she said. “She realises people on a no-fly list shouldn’t be purchasing firearms, unlike Trump.

“She has respect overseas – if you send Donald Trump to Russia or Germany, he is just going to be terrible.

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“It is scary, very scary. I know from a professional point of view what he is going to do with immigration.”

Ben, 35, who works in the construction industry as an engineer and team leader, said the idea of President Trump is a ‘very scary prospect’.

He said: “This is somebody who has not been elected to anything ever who is potentially going to be president.

“All he does is really preach hate. He has no policies, nothing to back himself up and yet he could still be president.

“That says a lot about how people want change.

“With Hillary, it is kind of the lesser of two evils.

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“People definitely don’t want Donald Trump to be in charge but don’t want Hillary either. Over time, she definitely seems to have slipped in people’s perceptions of her.

“But at least Hillary has been voted into public office and knows how to play politics.

“That is definitely a big advantage.”