Rising tension among Harris fans during election night at Arminius

9.00 pm – People stream into the Arminius Church and find a place in the main hall, which is decorated with small American flags. “All tickets sold out two weeks in advance”, says David Boeren from Studium Generale, one of the evening’s hosts. The hall is filled with the scent of grilled hamburgers from a food corner, and across from the bar, the first people make their way to the ballot box for the ‘Arminius elections’, through which the audience will cast their votes this evening.

9.08 pm – TV reporter Danny Ghosen kicks off the evening with a talk about his tour through several American states, where he discussed issues such as homelessness, radicalisation and the border with Mexico. “A culture clash is going on there”, says Ghosen. “Religious groups are calling for subjects like homosexuality and transgender issues to be removed from children’s books and schools.”

He goes on to show videos of militia groups who have taken it upon themselves to ‘guard’ the border. One man, dressed as a soldier, explains that he believes only drugs, trafficking victims, and criminals cross the border, and they must be stopped. Ghosen then shows a video in which the armed men end up helping families that crossed the border, though they do notify the border police afterwards.

9.31 pm – Boeren asks the crowd who they hope will win. Many hands go up for Harris, and loud cheers echo even from the balconies. There are some Trump supporters, but they’re few and far between. Then Boeren asks, “And who do you think will win?” This time, many hands are raised for Trump. An American in the audience voices his support before he asks a question. “I proudly voted for Kamala Harris.” Nearly the entire crowd applauds in response.

9.45 pm – On stage, a debate is held about Trump’s political ideas. “Emotions are what matter most in American politics today. The impact of Trump’s economic policies is too complex and convoluted, or simply too boring”, says American affairs expert Kirsten Verdel, drawing laughter from the audience. The search for an enemy and the promise of a simple solution, Verdel argues, are key parts of Trump’s campaign. “He simplifies the world and tells people what they want to hear.”

As the evening progresses, it becomes clear that votes, such as postal votes, will still need to be counted beyond tonight, so a final result is far off. Verdel quips, “Trump would say: Stop the count”, a reference to his statement from four years ago. The crowd laughs.

10.24 pm – A few people take a break and head towards the bar. Meanwhile, journalist Süeda Işık takes the stage to give her talk on meme culture. “Kamala can come across as very philosophical, which people turned into memes”, Işık says. Internet popularity, it turns out, can give a campaign a substantial boost. “Trump grabs the attention of many young men by riding in a garbage truck after Biden called Trump’s followers ‘garbage’. Young men find Trump funny because of this, and it draws them to him.” And this isn’t the first time Trump has depicted himself as an ‘ordinary guy’. In October, he appeared in Pennsylvania as a McDonald’s employee.

11.15 pm – Boeren sits on a bench in the hallway, where it’s quieter than in the main hall. “It’s fantastic to bring students and staff from Erasmus University together to experience election night”, he says. He notes that the presidential elections are really on students’ minds in the Netherlands. “America plays such a major role in the world. I hope Kamala wins, because that would safeguard democracy.”

12.45 am – The first results appear on the screen in the main hall, with Trump in the lead. Yet, Harris fans continue to speculate about the possible outcome. The final result is still a long way off, but tension in the hall starts to build. Laughter and cheers increasingly give way to heated discussions about a result that many attendees would find unwelcome.