From Addis to Washington: Ethiopian-Americans torn between Trump, Harris in most hyped U.S. election

By Samuel Getachew

Addis Abeba – In the days leading up to the fiercely contested American election, which resulted in Donald Trump being elected as the 47th president of the United States, discussions at Tryst—the most popular diaspora pub in Addis Abeba—became a central topic in the Ethiopian capital.

Even on a late afternoon on a weekday, a day before the election, most tables are filled with mostly Ethiopians who recently moved from the United States involved in entrepreneurship, coupled with those who have come to visit their motherland.

The majority seem to be up to date with what is taking place far away in their adopted home, but with consequences in Ethiopia.

Tedros Tadesse voted early before he came to Addis Ababa along with many of his friends. To him, each candidate has ample qualities, but Donald Trump is an easy pick despite his many shortcomings. 

“While Kamala Harris is an impressive candidate and takes to heart her background as a potential first black woman potential president, the party that she represents has a wrong view of Ethiopia and what we, America’s newest immigrants, want and aspire to be,” Tedros stated. 

Among those many other issues, Tedros points out that he believes Trump is likely to support the aspirations of established immigrants like him as entrepreneurs since he is a businessman and will root out illegal migration that seems to overwhelm America, turning it into a polarizing issue in this electoral cycle.

Tedros firmly believes that the Biden administration failed to curb illegal immigration into the United States.

When it comes to Ethiopia, he thinks the Biden administration, where Kamala Harris served as the Vice President, has not been a partner to Ethiopia during the two-year war in the Tigray region between the federal government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).

Tedros suspects that President Biden was a partner to the TPLF in a war that killed thousands of people, displaced millions, and destroyed one of the fastest-growing economies in the region. 

His friend, Michael Habtamu, is siding with the Democrats and points out that Trump is not a traditional Republican candidate like others who have done many positive things for Ethiopia, starting with the Diversity Visa that was started by a Republican President, George H.W. Bush, who helped him move to America almost two decades ago. 

“If it wasn’t for the Republicans, I would not have been part of the American dream that has helped me achieve a middle-class status and stable livelihood,” Habtamu said.

In previous years, a Republican-led government has been credited with creating the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) that African nations like Ethiopia have benefited from, helping lure foreign investment and create various industrial parks in the second most populous nation in Africa.

In addition, George W. Bush helped create the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), working with Irish rock star Bono and former Republican Senator Jesse Helms, which has helped save millions of lives in Ethiopia and across the continent.

But Trump is not a typical Republican candidate; his ascent to power, political career, and presidency have been marked by significant controversy. His background as a businessman, combined with his outsider status in Washington, further contributes to his unconventional political profile.

Many Ethiopians remember Trump for his 2020 comment suggesting that Egypt might “blow up” the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

However, Yonas A. Abebe, who lives in the US state of Maryland and was once a solid Democrat with three young children at home, voted for Trump.

“Running a small consulting firm, I’ve found it increasingly difficult to navigate the taxes and economic policies under Democratic leadership, which often feel like extra barriers rather than support, Abebe said.

“The US foreign policy in East Africa has heavily impacted my extended family, and it’s been a frustrating and worrying experience watching these policies play out… a shift in leadership might address these issues with a fresh approach that could benefit both my family here and my relatives in Ethiopia,” he added.

The Democrats are said to lose ground on this segment of American society, giving way to the return of the Trump administration.

On the other hand, Harris, a daughter of an Indian and Jamaican, has seen her poll numbers come down since she abruptly replaced President Joe Biden.

“Ironically, Kamala will be the one to help make America great again,” a self-identified “liberal” who asked to stay anonymous said.

To him, many people are getting Trump wrong and are just supporting him, believing his second term would be better than the last and that Harris is better than Trump, not just in substance but in style as well.

“Harris conducts herself in a way that I can tell my kids to emulate,” he said, adding, “Trump doesn’t care about Africa, and he wants to downsize public spending, and aid will be the first to go.”. 

For Bemnet Alemayehu, from Plano, Texas, he is definitely voting for Kamala Harris, as one with a better character and ideas.

“Trump has a very extreme narcissistic style,” he says. But when it comes to Ethiopia, he believes Ethiopia would be better served by a Trump administration he describes as isolationist. 

“Ethiopia has real challenges that require foreign aid since many people are struggling just to survive… Harris’s policies generally support foreign aid, which is crucial in helping the Ethiopian population,” he concluded.

Ephrem Madebo is less enthusiastic this year with the options that are offered to him.

“Whoever wins, America loses, and the difference is which candidate costs us more,” he wrote on X. AS