US Presidential Election: Who will Vietnamese voters choose?

The 2024 US presidential election is approaching its decisive days, and for Vietnamese American voters, each vote is not only a personal choice but also contains expectations about the future of America.

US Vice President Kamala Harris and former US President Donald Trump are both actively campaigning to receive maximum support before the official election day of November 5 - Photo: Reuters

Participating in the election, each Vietnamese American has different reasons and thoughts, reflecting the diversity of living conditions, values ​​and aspirations that they wish to see in the future of the country that is their second homeland.

Opposing views

Ms. H. and Mr. N. - a couple who have lived for more than 10 years in Texas, a "red" state with a tendency to vote for the Republican Party - believe that former President Donald Trump is not suitable to be a leader because of his personality and lack of sophistication in diplomacy. Mr. N. commented: "The President needs to be someone who can calculate far ahead, 5-10 steps ahead of others." Both of them believe that Mr. Trump is inconsistent in policy, typically when he promised to force Mexico to pay for the border wall but then shifted the financial burden to the US government. They affirmed that this year they will support Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate. Having come to the US as international students, they find the current immigration policy reasonable and believe that the Democratic Party opens up more opportunities for those who wish to settle legally. According to Ms. H., it is unreasonable to think that immigrants take away jobs from Americans. "During the COVID-19 pandemic, when meat processing plants had to close, meat prices skyrocketed across the US. But the majority of workers in these plants are immigrants. What would be the consequences if we fired them?" According to them, not only the processing industry but many other economic sectors in the US also depend on immigrant labor. Currently, the US construction industry is facing a serious labor shortage because Americans do not want to work. Most of the workforce in this industry is also immigrants. However, the biggest reason why they decided to support the Democratic Party this year is to balance power. "Currently, the Republican Party holds many important positions in the Supreme Court, so the Democratic Party is needed to restrain this power. The two sides often have very strong and extreme opposing policies - they commented - Maybe in the next US presidential election we will choose the Republican Party, but certainly not this time". However, Ms. H. and Mr. N.’s parents have a different opinion, they support Mr. Trump. Therefore, family members often avoid mentioning politics to limit conflicts. Like their parents, the majority of Vietnamese people in Texas and many other places in the US also choose to support Mr. Trump.

A Vietnamese family votes early in Dallas, Texas - Photo: Nguyen Thu

For many, Mr. Trump represents strong economic policies and a tough stance on national security. Ms. Thuc, 31, who has lived in Texas for more than 15 years and works in the health sector, shared that her family has always steadfastly supported Mr. Trump through the elections. For Ms. Thuc, Mr. Trump is a famous businessman who is able to focus on policies to improve the economy - something she believes is very practical and has a direct impact on her family. Sharing the same view, Mr. Charlie, 27, a real estate broker who recently became a US citizen, said this was his first time voting and would also support Mr. Trump. Charlie said he admires Mr. Trump's strong leadership style and believes that his economic stimulus policies will create more job opportunities for people. He hopes that if elected, Mr. Trump will promote strict policies to prevent illegal immigration and protect the rights of American workers. Although she has lived in the "blue" state of California - which tends to vote for the Democratic Party - for more than 15 years, Ms. Bao still affirms that she and many of her friends support Mr. Trump because most of them are business owners and his tax reduction policies can help them a lot. She also believes that Mr. Trump will be more aggressive in security and social security issues. According to her observations, the number of homeless people in the Vietnamese community and the entire state of California has increased significantly in recent years. Ms. Bao does not have a good impression of Ms. Harris because of her roundabout and unclear answers in interviews. She commented that Ms. Harris's frequent mention of gender equality is just a way to please voters, while this does not directly solve the real problems that people are facing.

Neutral and cautious view

In addition to opposing opinions, many Vietnamese voters remain neutral or have not made a clear decision. Mr. H., 52, a Texas resident who has lived here for 13 years, said he voted early but did not reveal who he chose. He shared: "Actually, for me, the presidential election is like a 'big game'. Who becomes president is not important because I still have to go to work to support my family." Mr. H. is more interested in local elections, where policies have a direct impact on his life and his family, than in the presidential election because "they are too far away from me." For him, voting is mainly a way to express the voice of the Vietnamese community. Similarly, Mr. Giang, 31, has been in the US for more than 13 years but has never voted. Having witnessed many fierce debates between the two sides, he believes that each party has its own policies, no one is perfect, and he has not found a reason to support either side. He said: "Mr. Trump's policies are very good in terms of economics, because he is a businessman and a billionaire, the business part will be focused on. However, the ideal is one thing, but the implementation in reality is another, whether you want it or not." He added: "The Democratic Party's ideal is inclined towards the community, which is quite good, but if the policy is not tight, it will easily backfire, causing the country to be overloaded and everything to stagnate." Mr. Giang commented that basically the two parties' policies have up to 80% similarities and voters' choice of candidates often comes from personal emotions and preferences. "It's mainly a matter of considering what is gained and lost, as well as who has a larger fan base. The two-party system does not create much innovation because those holding key power are still quite conservative." He expressed hope that in the future this system will be rejuvenated and less influenced by one faction, in order to reach a common voice, thereby promoting the economy and improving the quality of life more effectively.

Voters cast early ballots in Detroit, Michigan on October 31 - Photo: AFP

More than 70 million voters cast early ballots

The race for the White House is entering a decisive phase with more than 70 million voters having cast their ballots early, according to data from the University of Florida's Election Lab Project, which Reuters cited in a November 2 news report. Although lower than the record number in 2020, this number still shows that American voters are very interested in this year's presidential election. In the battleground state of North Carolina, which has 16 electoral votes, more than 3.8 million people have voted and November 2 is the last day of early voting. Both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are stepping up their campaigns here to convince undecided voters. Given the importance of battleground states such as North Carolina, Georgia and several others, undecided voters could be the deciding factor in the election outcome.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/bau-cu-tong-thong-my-cu-tri-goc-viet-chon-ai-20241103074050355.htm