Republican candidate Donald Trump, as of press time, is a few electoral votes away from winning the 2024 presidential election. The Associated Press reports that we are still awaiting results from Alaska, Arizona, two districts in Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada and Wisconsin. But Trump, just before 9am this morning (3am in Florida), took to the stage of his campaign headquarters in West Palm Beach, Florida to declare his victory in the election. His face on the television screens--running CNN--served as the backdrop of the watch party at The Spot in Luxembourg City.

Just after 9am, US ambassador Tom Barrett took the microphone at the Luxembourg sports bar with a few remarks on the election and on celebrating democracy. “It was some 235 years ago in Philadelphia when the forefathers of the United States got together to write the Constitution. The first lines of the American Constitution are: ‘We the people.’ Not ‘they the people,’ not ‘you the people.’ ‘We the people.’ ‘We the people of the United States in order to form a more perfect union.’ [It’s] a recognition that America was not perfect in 1789, and it’s not perfect in 2024--but [that we have] to work towards a more perfect union. That one line captures the essence of why we are here today. The American people have spoken,” he said. Millions of people “from all parts of the country, all ages, all incomes, all races, all races, all religions have spoken--and they’ve elected Donald Trump to be their president. This is an exercise in democracy that we as Americans are proud of.”

The elections have been “under the spotlight,” and people have been critical of the process. “But as ambassador--and more importantly, as an American--I am proud. I am proud that we as a nation air our dirty laundry out in public. You can see the strengths of America; you can see the weaknesses of America; you can see the challenges of America. Nothing is swept under the carpet. That’s how you have a strong democracy; that’s how you have a resilient democracy. Because--without question--sunlight is the best disinfectant.”

Decision have been made--not only for the presidency, but for the many other elections on the ballot. Races for Senate seats, the entire House of Representatives, local elections, governor positions, state-level measures. “One thing that many people don’t understand is how diffuse the power is in America,” noted the ambassador. All the other elections that took place “are equally as important in terms of people being able to have their voices heard.”

Politics the “ultimate participatory sport”

The Spot--a sports bar--was chosen for the election watch party because “to me, American politics is the ultimate participatory sport,” said Barrett.”It’s only because people get involved in the process at the local level, the state level and the national level that we have a strong country. So I’m proud of my country. I’m proud of the voters who came out. Win or lose--I’m proud of our nation.”

“I’ve had the honour of running for office myself 20 times--that’s why I have a little grey hair,” he added. “I’ve won the vast majority of those, but I’ve lost a few of them. And I want to tell you this: the wine of victory is much sweeter than the wine of defeat. The wine of defeat can be a little bitter, but one of the things I learned is it doesn’t matter whether you win or lose. What matters is whether you get up and keep fighting for what’s right.”

Some people are going to celebrate today; others are going to cry. “But tomorrow, democracy continues.”

Three key pillars between US and Luxembourg

So how does all this affect the relationship between the United States and Luxembourg?

“I am extremely confident that the relationship between Luxembourg and the United States will remain as strong as ever,” said Barrett, highlighting three “incredibly strong pillars” between the countries. “The first is the pillar of history.” Thousands of American soldiers lost their lives to save Luxembourg during the Battle of the Bulge, whose 80th anniversary will be marked in a few weeks. “What I’ve been incredibly impressed by is how much Luxembourg remembers and recognises and commemorates the sacrifice that those young men and women made.”

The second pillar is the economic ties that link the two countries. “There’s tremendous investment from the United States in Luxembourg, and there’s tremendous investment from Luxembourg in the United States.”

The third pillar, said Barrett, “is the pillar of values. The belief in democracy, of human rights, of freedom of speech, of respect for individuals. When you have a relationship that is built on the pillars of history and economics and values, that’s a strong relationship, and so I remain confident that this relationship will be strong.”

“There’s a lot of work to be done,” he concluded. “There’s a lot of work to be done in Europe, there’s a lot of work to be done throughout the world, but working together, I’m confident that our brightest days are ahead of us.”