A lone sanitation worker picked up trash on an otherwise empty section of Main Street at around 6:30 a.m. yesterday.
Off in the distance, the cries of roosters could be heard while hitchhikers lined up along Waterfront Drive to go to work.
Though word of Mr. Trump’s unexpected victory over Hillary Clinton, the Democratic Party’s nominee for United States president, quickly spread throughout the territory, the news took time to sink in.
“I was just in my office, sitting with the lights off,” Dr. Michael Turnbull said around 8:45 a.m. “Everyone’s on edge because we don’t know what to expect.”
Though other residents were more optimistic about Mr. Trump’s victory — which defied polls and other predictions — Dr. Turnbull’s feelings of uncertainty were shared by many in the VI yesterday, and they are a common sentiment throughout the world.
That’s partly because for all the thousands of hours of media airtime Mr. Trump has received in recent months, there are still many questions surrounding what policies he might implement.
Policies
Indeed, the businessman and former reality television star has no track record of crafting public policy.
Moreover, on issues like trade and foreign policy, Mr. Trump has markedly different positions than many of his Republican colleagues, with his anti-free-trade rhetoric and critiques against traditional American military and political alliances.
Even for the issue that was most clearly articulated for most of the campaign — immigration — Mr. Trump has flip-flopped: He changed his stance in September when he “softened” and said he would focus on deporting undocumented migrants with criminal records, but he later reverted to his original threats to deport all undocumented residents and build a wall along the US-Mexico border.
Racism concerns
Larger policy questions aside, many VI residents are basing their expectations off Mr. Trump’s other controversial campaign rhetoric, which included describing Mexicans as rapists, calling for banning Muslims from travelling to the US, and suggesting that African-American youths have “no spirit.”
“If he goes through with all the things he said he’d do, black people and people of colour and poor people are going to suffer regardless of where they are,” said Donald DeCastro. “Racism is going to get worse, police brutality is going to get worse; the rich will pay less taxes and the poor will pay more.”
Dr. Turnbull, a psychologist who runs a mental health clinic in Road Town, said he was particularly appalled when Mr. Trump suggested last month that military veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder are mentally weak.
“Every month, you have veterans coming back diagnosed with PTSD, who had fought for their country,” Dr. Turnbull said. “And now, he’s talking about taking money away from their funding, which will be even more traumatic because these people need intervention.”
Optimism
Other residents are much more optimistic towards the impending Trump presidency.
Opposition Leader Julian Fraser, for instance, said he thinks Mr. Trump’s proposed infrastructure spending plan will have spinoff effects in the VI economy.
“Rebuilding the US infrastructure means money for United States workers, which translates into tourism dollars coming to the Virgin Islands; means Americans investing in our housing market,” Mr. Fraser posted on his Facebook page yesterday morning. “The possibilities are bright.”
And while Mr. Fraser’s statement focused on potential gains in tourism, other residents foresee positive implications for the VI financial services industry now that Republicans — who are traditionally more friendly to offshore finance — are set to control both Congress and the White House.
“I’m sure his approach will bring some relief in terms of regulatory pressure internationally,” said Joseph Rosan, who works for the Department of Trade, Investment Promotion and Consumer Affairs. “That will have some positive effects for BVI financial services.”
However, not everyone agrees that a potential economic boost is worth the cost.
“I heard one of my friends say this is going to be good for financial services in the BVI, but what about all the other things that are going to happen to the social fabric of the communities?” Dr. Turnbull asked.
Mr. DeCastro spoke similarly.
“Some people are saying the Virgin Islands will benefit from financial services, but that is one issue in a million,” he said. “We’ll have to wait and see. I have my doubts, though. I think it’s going to be a disaster.”
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