Early Wednesday morning, Hillary Clinton called Donald Trump to concede the U.S. Presidential election. Some young American university students in Germany were distraught, fearing this would turn the clock back on women’s and minority rights. An initial slump in financial markets also caused them angst. A woman from New York who lives in Cologne was beside herself, “I will never trust in a poll again.” She was referring to the fact that so many polls had shown Mrs. Clinton leading by a small percentage in recent days. Most of all, there was disbelief; “I am disappointed that so many Americans thought he was the better choice - what does it say for us as a country?”

The mood was somber in much of the expat community in Bonn and the region, with the word “shock” being expressed again and again. Concern was also at the forefront for expat voters. One woman was “sad beyond words,” adding that there was a danger of the U.S. destroying itself by becoming insular and driven by bigotry. Another said that under a Donald Trump administration, she anticipated people no longer having health coverage, and worries about “international trade relationships if NAFTA is gutted” as well as world foreign policy with the new president “potentially providing no support for NATO allies.” There is also concern about what will happen to the environment, but also about people - and “domestic hostility between citizens.”

Another expat wrote that it was the “same feeling we had when we woke up to ‘Brexit’, but worse.” She worries that a Trump presidency will usher in an era of instability and uncertainty in the world, which could threaten world peace. Another also compared this election result to the ‘Brexit’, “after which many people in Britain said that they hadn't anticipated the fallout or economic negative consequences of the LEAVE vote.”

Come January 20, the new president of the U.S. will be Mr. Trump and the new first lady will be a former model from Slovenia, Melania Trump. An expat from the east coast tries to be optimistic, “I can only hope for our country that Trump will surround himself with smart and thoughtful people from both sides of the aisle to guide him through wildly unchartered territories.”