How do these Aussies feel about the way America is going? | Foreign Correspondent

(JAZZ MUSIC) (CHEERING) It's over! (CHEERING, WHISTLES BLOWING) When Biden won, there were people cheering. There were people driving their cars and honking their horns. (HORNS HONK) There was excitement. Manhattan and New York came alive. There were people sending texts to each other. You were getting notifications with sort of, "Oh, my God!" It had happened. (SOMBRE MUSIC) Now it's going to be a real likelihood that we have another Trump presidency. TRUMP: This is the final battle. With you at my side, we will demolish the deep state. We will expel the warmongers from our government. We will cast out the communists, Marxists and fascists. We will throw off the sick political class that hates our country. We will rout the fake news media and we will liberate America from these villains, once and for all. Hello, and welcome to Foreign Correspondent. I'm Stephanie March. When I covered the 2016 US presidential election, the campaign leading up to Donald Trump's win was dramatic. But it's nothing compared to what we're seeing right now in America. Last weekend, the Republican nominee became the target of an assassination attempt, a bone-chilling turn in what was already an unprecedented race for the White House - the 78-year-old convicted felon running against the oldest President in US history, 81-year-old incumbent Democrat Joe Biden. Caught up in these tumultuous times are some 100,000 Australians who call America home. In recent months, we've spent time with six of them, getting on with their lives as the US becomes more febrile, where gun violence is always on the agenda, and now there's even talk of civil war. Their experiences reflect the deep divisions within America. And now some are asking the question, should they stay or should they go? (JAZZ MUSIC) I moved here in 2017 with the idea that it would be fun to live in a different city. It'd be fun to live in the US. It'd be fun to live in New York. My 9-to-5 job is being the founder and CEO of Fortnight Digital. We make websites. I'm a computer nerd by day. Then by night, my 5-to-9 job is America Josh. I am America Josh, helping people move to the United States. We do weekly Friday coffees. We run monthly drinks events. A bit of a chance to have some fun on a weeknight. Hello, guys. Josh. Hi, Josh. So, we're watching the World Cup T20 cricket in New York. Australia versus Namibia. MAN: Australia's 1 for 60. It's gonna be over in two overs. Australians live all across the United States. Look, Zampa was... he was doing some work. So, in New York and in the north-east area, we're...we probably think about 30,000. Someone's like, "Wow, you travel a lot." I'm like, "I'm not at all the coffees." Like, I wish I could be. The E-3 visa has been the reason that Australian culture has flourished in the United States, and that tens of thousands of people have moved from Australia to the United States. It came about in about 2005, after Australia was part of the "coalition of the willing", going to Iraq with the US. It was part of a free-trade agreement that occurred between the United States and Australia. And what it's meant is that 10,500 visas are allocated to Australians only. Professionals can move over to the United States and work. We're the only country that has this advantage right now. Yeah! Too good, mate. Too good. I know, right? Yeah, where are you guys? Are you in Manhattan or Brooklyn? MAN: Well, see, we live in Manhattan. Manhattan is not America. So, the rest of America is in a different world, compared to where I've lived for the last 40 years. She's like, "I know who you are." And I was like, "What is happening?" I don't like Trump, the man. And I've known this guy. I've seen him since the '90s. And for the real rich guys in New York, he was a joke. But, initially, you know, you've got to take these jokes seriously because this guy is a master media manipulator. Joe Biden is not the candidate that lots of people want. I completely understand. I was reading a statistic today that said that Bill Clinton was President 30 years ago, and is still younger than both of the candidates today, which is an obscene statistic to be able to throw out so easily. I think it's a distinct possibility that Trump will win, and we're terrified about that, here in New York City, at least. We're New Yorkers, we hate him. He's got an amazingly sort of strong body of people out there, who believe every word. It is a...it is, in my opinion, like a cult. And...and it's just scary. I have met Stacey, my now wife, and we've had Danny, our first son, two months ago, which has dramatically changed my perception of life abroad because we've now got a family here. (DANNY CRIES) You happy? Guns, healthcare, education. Good boy. Those things are a real priority when we're looking at, now, yeah, growing a family. Yeah. When I moved here, healthcare is like a joke, in terms of...in Australia, like, you talk about US healthcare as a bit of a trope, a bit of a joke. Yeah. Like, we're getting bills... Constantly. All the time. We've got three over there. Yeah. You're a farty man. I think it's a real possibility that we have another Trump presidency. I really do. What could happen next? What could be the next thing that unfolds? What could be the thing that they say? I mean, we're already seeing they're literally burning books, which, like, again, I'm laughing 'cause it's, like, truly insane, the concept that we're going back to a time where we shy away from knowledge and learning and we...we don't want to accept particular truths because they're uncomfortable. The former president of the United States is guilty of 34 felony counts. Donald Trump was indicted in four separate cases. He wanted to push all of the trials past the election. Trump is guilty! TRUMP: This was a disgrace. This was a rigged trial by a conflicted judge who was corrupt. Fuck Joe Biden! Never thought, when she got married, that she'd be married to a gun-totin', truck drivin' redneck. Yeah. Not that I'm a redneck, but I am a farm boy. Today, we're in Malvern, Pennsylvania. I've been here almost 22 years, always in this area, and transferred over with my company. Back in those days, Australia was a little behind in the software, and the thing to do was to come to the US to be at leading edge. So, that's what attracted me here. Out this way, as you move further out of Philadelphia, it becomes more Republican. You're either far left or far right, in the minds of the politicians today. Hey, Dawn. Hi, Kevin. How are ya? How are you doin'? Good. Here for my order. Alright! I've got it ready for you. Thank you. You are welcome. One of the things I miss the most, which don't have to anymore, is the good old Aussie pie. The only politician, and he's not really a politician, that kept promises was President Trump. And Australia's no different. Pauline Hanson was Trump before Trump was Trump. She was a working-day person speaking what other people were afraid to speak. And then both parties got together to try and remove her. That's what's happening at the moment. You know, they always bring Australia up as what they did in taking everyone's firearms off them as the pinnacle of what to do. I'm a qualified NRA instructor. I enjoy, you know, going out and trapshooting and rifle shooting and pistol shooting. Um, the...the NRA, themselves, is all about safety. And...a lot of that gets taken out of context by...media, et cetera. When it comes to firearms and everything, guns don't kill people - people kill people. The electoral interference that's currently going on stops because if it keeps going, that could be the trigger for...I don't know what. You know, you might have riots... I don't know, I just hope that we have free and fair elections and peaceful elections. And that's what they meant to be. They're not...they're not meant to be starters of war. (DOGS BARK) Who wants a cookie? Ooh, come get a cookie! Oh, I got used to the...the bourbons, and one of my favourite is a Bulleit bourbon. And my neighbour's son, out of the goodness of his heart, got me some bullet glasses for the Bulleit bourbon. And I think the two perfectly match each other. It's a .308 round, my favourite projectile. I'm gonna hit a target at a mile with one of these one day, But President Trump, the fake trial like everything else, the corrupt Biden Department of Justice trying to do anything to basically do what they're... ..claiming he did - interference with an election. That's exactly what they're doing with the 2024 election. Everyone thought this was going to... ..deplete his chances of becoming president again. But every day he's in the courtroom, they're actually getting him re-elected. And I don't think they realise that. NEWSREADER: Breaking news. Another mass shooting in the United States. REPORTER: Police say the shooter was a former student at the school. (SIREN WAILS) Let's go! Six people killed, including three nine-year-old kids. Go! President Biden sent his condolences and also called on Congress to do more to stop gun violence. (OFFICERS SHOUT) JOE BIDEN: It's heartbreaking. A family's worst nightmare. OFFICER: I'm with you! JOE BIDEN: It's ripping our communities apart. Keep pushing! TRUMP: This is not a gun problem. This is a mental health problem. This is a social problem. This is a cultural problem. This is a spiritual problem. (OFFICER SHOUTS) (GUNFIRE) WOMAN: I was here for September 11, and that morning, after riding the subway in, everybody's face was just blank and full of grief, and I've never seen anything like that again, except the day after Trump was elected, 'cause it was a real... it was a real shock. And I think people really knew that change was coming in this country. I've been in America for about 23 years now. Just a little bit warmer, and we can stir it up. I work in video production. I run my own small production company. And I live in New Jersey, in a suburban house now, with two kids and a dog and a husband. Good job. The night Trump was elected was the same night that I applied for my daughter's Australian citizenship, because I was terrified of what kind of rights she would lose as a woman in this country. Pop it down. I've been in America for more years than I lived in Australia now, which is pretty wild. Do you think we should move to Australia? (SIGHS) Don't know. It'd be a big move. But probably be safer. Yeah. It'd be different, though. You'd miss your friends, right? Yeah. Obviously, being a parent of small children, gun control in this country is one of the things that probably frustrates me the most and terrifies me the most about sending the kids to school and... Both of my daughters have recounted stories to me of them doing active-shooter drills at their school. And did you did you say you had to be quiet? Is that what you had to do? Yeah. Where did you go? In the bathroom. In the bathroom? Mm. Well, fire drills, you would usually go outside. Well... It wasn't a fire drill. That's when...if someone gets into the building, you have to be quiet and go to a safe place where no-one can see you. Well, that's what my teacher said. To go in the bathroom with the fire drill. I don't know why. I mean...a four-year-old? I mean, it's just fucking insane. So, if I think about reasons that I would want to move back to Australia, I think people's access to guns and the shootings that... daily they happen, in schools, in movie theatres. At this point, America is just so used to hearing it, it's just become normal, which is just insane to me. Going into a school every day, we're pretty safe here in new Jersey. But...but you're never really safe. It's cold outside. You try not to think about it too much. Put your backpack on. Quick, quick, quick. Don't wanna miss the bus. I hate to say this but Donald Trump looks very, very likely. Quick. Don't want to miss the bus. For a start, he's got nobody competing against him on the other side. Alright. You ready? Hi! DRIVER: Hi, honey. How are you? I think, if Trump gets in, it's going to be obviously crushingly disappointing for this country. And, like, how is that possible? But, you know, that's the United States of America for you, baby. SONG: # That's life # That's what all the people say # You're ridin' high in April # Shot down in May... # WOMAN: I really can't wrap my head around how big Houston is and how big Texas is. # When I'm back on top # Back on top in June... # I'm from a regional centre, Hillston, in New South Wales. # That's life # That's life # And I can't... # I met my husband on TikTok, so he, um, is a digital creator. So am I. So, we both have platforms there. We just met there. It started as a friendship. We eventually got married in February last year and been here a little over a year now. # And die... # MAN: Get your votes in, K-Hunts. My husband's a comedian. Welcome to K-Hunt's, and Asshole Karaoke. Y'all having a good time yet? MAN: Oh, yeah. You drunk enough yet? You don't sound drunk enough. It sounds like you need to get some more drinks. We decided that we would start shopping around for a bar to buy, and we found this one. Our bar is considered a dive bar. It's got a pretty eclectic group of people that come in. Texans, in particular, are the same as Australians in their values. Not so much all of Australia, but I'd say country Australia, the little towns, have the same sort of values and... and morals and how you grow up. It's similar to here, so I kind of fitted in pretty well. The neighbourhood is very diverse. We're right here on the cusp of a lot of money and a lot of poverty. They're all Trump supporters. Occasionally, you'll have a Biden supporter walk in. They don't really voice who they support in here, because discussions about politics in bars in America can get pretty heated. We got guns. We got big trucks, alright? We got a lot of meat. (LAUGHS) The fact that you do have guns and you can protect yourself with guns is pretty good. I do like that part. It became very real to her. There was an incident that happened, um, actually, right outside of here, uh, where a guy... a guy decided to play John Wick and, uh, have a shoot-out with the cops. Of course, they killed him... Out on the... ..out on the street. But then, later on that evening, that wasn't on the news, is that in the gas station right here, next to us, there was two men that were killed. A guy walked in the door - pop, pop - hit both of them or whatever. After that incident, it started to dawn on her real quick. You don't see bar fights in America because everyone's got a gun. So, that's a Springfield 1911 chambered in nine-millimetre. There is one in the chamber right now and the hammers back on it, ready to go at all times. We don't fuck around, around here. I'm prior service Army - Iraq vet. I will not allow that to happen on my watch. And it's not just this area. It can happen anywhere. Like, bad things happen all over the place. So, um, yeah, but we make sure we're protected. JOE BIDEN: The justice system should be respected, and we should never allow anyone to tear it down. NEWSREADER: The conviction of President Trump might mark one of the darkest periods in American history. But the fight to preserve the country we love, that's ongoing. If they can do this to me, they can do this to anyone. MAN: Yeah, motherfuckers! WOMAN: Oh, my God. What a good point. There's a reason why they don't like him, and that's because he's actually standing up to the globalists, to the elites and everything. Trump got convicted of all 34, found guilty of it. So, if we're gonna hold Trump to this standard, I think a lot of your other presidents and everybody else that has been corrupt in this government needs to be held to the same. # I know I laugh... # MARLEY WILKERSON: I think Texans like Trump because he's a businessman, knows how to make money, put more money in their pockets. DAVID WILKERSON: Everything was cheaper when he was in. Everybody had more money. Gas prices were cheap. Groceries were affordable at the time. I had to go pick up another job in the oil and gas industry just to be able to support this place, because this industry is one of the first ones that get affected, um, whenever the economy is terrible. And they don't make it easy for you to...to get ahead. No, they don't. # Yeah! # MAN: (IMITATES) # Yeah! # Hell, yeah man, give it up for her! I would hope he gets back in. Yes. Yeah. Yes. Without a shadow of a doubt. I think this country is headed down some, um... ..some very dark times that are about to...that are about to result in a...in a... ..in a 2.0, in a civil war, if we're not already there. This is exactly how military cue... military coups start in countries is exactly what you're seeing right now. So, it's an interesting time to be in the States, that's for sure. From all over the world, they came. Millions of illegal border crossers have entered the country unlawfully. They're coming by the thousands. (SHOUTING) We will secure our borders and we will restore our sovereignty. I recognise the fact that Joe Biden is a more favourable president for...for immigrants. CROWD: (CHANT) Biden! Biden! Biden! # Pick up your feet # Jingle around the clock. # So, I arrived here, in Philadelphia, about a month ago, and I moved here from Sydney with my boyfriend. I'd been living here, in Philadelphia, for no more than a week, and I had a group of guys pull up at the lights and yell out of their ute at me, "Ni hao", repeatedly, which is not clever or funny. Like, I... A, I'm not Chinese. And, B, it was just, like, a really stupid racial kind of slur. I can't...I can't remember the last time I've had a racial slur yelled at me as some sort of, what, like, insult, in Australia. But I think someone like Trump gives a lot of licence to people that may have...they have, like, inklings of xenophobia. REPORTER: At the Supreme Court today, an historic upheaval. In a sweeping ruling that overturned a half a century of precedents, five justices ended the right of American women to choose abortion under the Constitution. For 54 years, they were trying to get Roe v. Wade terminated, and I did it, and I'm proud to have done it. JOE BIDEN: In 2016, Donald Trump ran to overturn Roe v. Wade. Now, in 2024, he's running to pass a national ban on a woman's right to choose. I'm running to make Roe v. Wade the law of the land again. Donald Trump doesn't trust women. I do. I just turned 31. I am really looking to and want to have kids soon. However, I'm not ready to have kids right now, and if I got pregnant tomorrow, I don't know... I actually don't know what I'd do. Do I fly back to Australia to look at having a termination? I mean, that's insane to me. I actually...I did have a termination of pregnancy when I was 24, because I wasn't ready, in New South Wales. And at that point in time, I mean, I was...I was working and I was...I was definitely not ready to have a child, but I was able to deal with it myself, as a young adult, with relatively little consequence. But that is not something that I would be able to do here - for cost, for legality, for accessibility. That freaks me out, you know? So, in the last six months I have broken up with my boyfriend. I've moved into a new place and I got a job. And I've been really enjoying the job, actually. I managed to land a job at Comcast, which is one of the biggest broadband telecommunications companies in North America. And I am producing events for their employees. The scale of opportunity that I have access to, working here, is unparalleled with anything that I would have in Australia. I was going to be here two years and back home and that was it. Now, with how things are panning out, I reckon I might be here three... at minimum. My experience of racial identity, though, is an interesting one, right? Coming here, they can't really relate to my Vietnamese cultural heritage, but they also can't really relate to my Australian cultural heritage. I didn't anticipate how culturally different Australia and America would be. There's this cultural identity in the US that America's "the best fuckin' place in the world." Sometimes, I think that there's, like, an elitism that comes with that, and Trump taps into that elitism. He's tapped into the elitism of people that realistically have nothing to feel elite about. If anything, I feel it's more likely that Trump will get re-elected, and that makes me super-nervous. You know, I just...I can't... ..I can't see it being beneficial for me, a young woman of colour, who's also a working immigrant. I can't see it being good for me in any way, shape or form. # Singin' bye-bye, Miss American Pie # Drove my Chevvy to the levee # But the levee was dry... # WOMAN: You are completely dependent on the car here, in Houston. # This'll be the day that I die... # It's an oil and gas city, so it's all about making money. And I think what comes with that is often a lot of traditional values. # For 10 years, I've been on my own # And moss grows fat on a rollin' stone... # There's huge income disparity. There's not the social safety net or the financial safety net for those who maybe need a leg-up. So, there's a huge reliance on charity. # I met a girl who sang the blues # And I asked her for some happy news... # I'm a sustainability specialist in the IT industry. We've been in the United States since 1996. We moved here from Sweden. My husband is Swedish. We've been in Houston since 2008, raised our two children here, and still here. We're Democrats, but work takes you where work takes you, and here we are. Yeah, so, this is... this is our neighbourhood, on the west side of Houston. Pretty typical neighbourhood. Tree-lined streets. People love flying the flags. There's frustration. There's fear. I feel that's been a huge shift - that, all of a sudden, everyone's kind of believing their own truth, creating their own truth. The conspiracy theories are just...wild. Look at this upside-down flag. That's become a thing, since Trump was convicted. And people are saying, "We are in distress. We need rescuing." So, that...you know, here we go. I think it would be too easy for us to say that Trump has caused a lot of this. I think Trump has just captured a moment. Gotta look at things like income disparity. We've got the one-percenters at the top. Their income has just exploded, even during the pandemic, while minimum wage remains totally stagnant. There's nowhere in this country anymore that a person earning minimum wage can afford to rent a two-bedroom apartment. Nowhere. Personally, I'm feeling kind of exhausted about what may be coming in the next four years, regardless of the outcome. We're empty-nesters, our kids have grown and flown, and, so, we feel that the US has been really good to us. But it's...it's time to go home. So, later this year, we're going to make the move back to Australia. Definitely these...these issues of, you know, things that are happening in society here, lots of really fundamental changes, I think it's been a...it's really helped us make the decision and get really clear. I've got a box of shoes here. What do we...? Can you find a spot for that? Yeah. Oh, it's a madhouse. So, we're...we're packing. We're sitting in amongst boxes today, so we're doing some renovations and painting and getting things, slowly but surely, ready to, uh, sell the house, make the move. OK. (CLAPS) Come on. It's kind of a gutting moment, in a way. I look back to the country we moved to in 1996, and just all the positivity we got to experience, all the opportunities we got to experience. I worry that, um, in four years, you can do a lot of damage. (GUNSHOTS POP) (SCREAMING) (GUNSHOTS POP) REPORTER: We're covering the attempted assassination of former president Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. CROWD: USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! I think this is an absolutely terrible act, and I think it only shows how divided the country has become. KEVIN MORROW: At first I was shocked, but then I was actually not surprised. With all the bogus lawsuits falling apart and the RNC convention this week, someone definitely wanted him out of the way, sooner than later. CATHERINE CROWE: What happened on the weekend is yet another example of the everyday gun violence faced by Americans. Guns kill, whoever you vote for. CLARE HOBBY: It's deeply shocking that this has happened, but not altogether surprising. I think something like this has been brewing for a while. MADELEINE MILLER: People are saying that that's now guaranteed the outcome of the election, with Trump kind of pegged to win, which I think is a pretty grim thought. And it feels like a pretty scary place to be right now. MARLEY WILKERSON: I think the courage and strength Trump showed after being shot - him standing back up and putting his fist in the air - was awesome, and exactly the character that's needed to be seen in a leader. I think he has an even better chance of winning the election and we can't wait for him to be President again. Captions by Red Bee Media Copyright Australian Broadcasting Corporation