In N.B. border town, anxiety over Donald Trump's return to power

New Brunswickers living within sight of the United States reacted with unease and bewilderment Tuesday as the re-election of Donald Trump as U.S. president sunk in.

In St. Stephen, some residents gazed warily across the St. Croix River to Calais, Maine, one of many towns that Trump won handily.

"It's worrying," said Martin Woodman, who was walking his dog along a riverside trail.

"You know it's going to cause — I wouldn't say cause problems, but … it's going to be different, I think. I hope it's not too bad. We just have to wait and see."

According to results published in the New York Times, Trump beat Vice-President Kamala Harris by 18 percentage points in Calais, a town linked to St. Stephen by three cross-border bridges.

Trump also won the lone electoral college vote in Maine's second congressional district, which takes in Bangor and the many border communities New Brunswickers know well. The state is one of only two that split its electoral college voters by district.

Trump's win, not just an electoral college victory as in 2016 but a clear popular vote triumph as well, rattled many in St. Stephen. 

David Ganong, the owner and former CEO of chocolate maker Ganong Brothers, one of the town's main employers, said he was "deeply disappointed" that many average Americans had voted for Trump.

While he didn't fear any direct impact on the St. Stephen-Calais relationship, he said he worried what Trump's "very inward-looking" perspective would mean globally, including for the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

"The Americans did elect him — the majority did this time around — so we'll have to wait and see," he said.

"But I'd be very, very worried both about what's going to happen on the other side of our border here and what the implications are going to be on our side of the border." 

Dave Gorrie said he's concerned that Trump's vow to adopt new protectionist measures against imports would hurt Canada.

"We've already had lumber tariffs. We're going to have other kinds of tariffs that will hurt our economy," Gorrie said

Pamela Feeney, a Steuben, Maine, resident who commutes to work in Calais and crosses the border every day for a Tim Hortons tea and croissant, became emotional as she struggled to explain Trump's win.

"I just find it hard to believe a majority of my fellow citizens would have voted for someone who is an adjudicated rapist, a 34-times felon, and obviously clearly unfit to be president of the United States. It's very sad." 

But not everyone on the border was dismayed with the outcome.

"I loved it. I think the United States made a sound decision on what they wanted," said Jerome Holland of St. Stephen, who stayed up until 3:30 a.m. to watch Trump win state after state.

His wife, Lisa Holland, said she was not bothered by a court ruling in a civil case that found Trump liable for sexually abusing writer E. Jean Carroll and by other allegations of sexual harassment against the Republican.

"I think you just got to look at what the person's going to do for the country. Is it true? Is it not true? I don't know what they're saying about Trump," she said.

"If he can run the country, who cares? Everybody's got skeletons in the closet."

Jerome said he liked Trump's promise to crack down on illegal immigration and said he hopes the same tide of support brings a change in Canada in next year's federal election.

"We have a great relationship," he said of the two towns.

"I don't see that changing. Their election last night was for them. They made a decision that was very overwhelming. I think we'll have the same thing when our turn comes."

Gorrie, though, said he's worried the same possibility: that Canadian politics will follow the American lead.

"We are our own country. We have our own values. So we'll see," he said.

Feeney said she hopes her cross-border tea and croissant ritual doesn't fall victim to a Canadian backlash to Trump's comeback. 

"Well, it depends on how the Canadians feel about us," she said. "Maybe they won't want us to come in anymore."