ABU DHABI // Emiratis said they would be less likely to visit the United States after Donald Trump’s shock presidential election victory.
Some, however, hoped he would still be a good president and not fulfil his previous pledge to ban Muslims from entering the US.
“Arabs love America, many of them live and study there, but I fear no one will go any more after this,” said Salem Al Derei, 33, from Abu Dhabi.
“It’s a change but a worrying one, because I don’t see him as a responsible adult, he’s just a businessman, so we’ll have to wait and see and hope for the best for all countries and the US.”
Asma Hilal Lootah, from Dubai, thought Mr Trump’s victory was “mind-boggling”.
“I wonder what’s going to happen, because he did say he would ban Muslims, so I’m not sure if he’s bluffing. But he is the US president, so you can’t say something and do something else,” she said.
“I don’t want to jump to conclusions because I’m an outsider and all I see is through the media,” she said.
“Only time will tell. The majority of American people spoke and this is what they said. The only thing is for us to wait and see.”
Despite Mr Trump’s rhetoric, she believed the UAE Government would be able to maintain strong links with the US.
“My government is smart and we have good relations with the US, so Trump is not going to mess this up,” she said.
Fatma Showaiter, 26, from Sharjah, said she was surprised by Mr Trump’s victory considering his lack of experience.
“When it comes to the president, I know the US has a history with different social, economic and cultural backgrounds but, as with us, our leaders should be people of a certain status.”
She thought many people in this region would not respect him as president.
“The way he speaks about Muslims is ridiculous,” she said. “He’s not stable, one day he says something, the next he says something else and the way he sells himself is exactly the way he sells everything else, which isn’t right.”
She was also sceptical that a Hillary Clinton win would have been better for the region.
“Hillary would have destroyed the Middle East with reason and him without reason. Both would have been a disaster for us.”
Alya Al Madani, from Ajman, blamed the media for underestimating Mr Trump’s appeal.
“The media gave us the impression that the US was against Trump and all the celebrities and politicians were supporting Clinton, including Obama, so logically, I expected her to win,” the 33-year-old said.
“Obviously we were misled by the media and what’s really happening in the US isn’t what is being projected outside.”
She said because she lived in the UAE Mr Trump’s win would probably not affect her much.
“I think he will concentrate on the US, so what I’m worried about are the Muslims there, not here,” she said.
“The only difference between Clinton and Trump is that one of them is politically correct and the other is not.”
Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, political science professor at UAE University and chairman of the Arab Council for Social Sciences, said Mr Trump’s triumph would not affect the US-UAE relationship.
“I don’t think anybody will tamper with this no matter who the next president is,” he said.
“I think they all came to the point where they see the UAE as a credible and trustworthy partner in this region.”
cmalek@thenational.ae
