Melissa Sweeney: US Consul General on the mood of Kiwis as the US election heats up

The votes are rolling in on the day of the US election - and Kiwis are watching the coverage with nervous anticipation.

It's too early to call a winner, but people have gathered to follow along with the results at bars across the country.

US Consul General Melissa Sweeney joined Matt Heath and Tyler Adams from Auckland's Empire bar to discuss.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:09):
You're listening to a podcast from News Talk sed B.
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Speaker 2 (00:16):
Welcome back in to the show. So it is heating
up as the count continues in the US selection. So
Fox prediction. At this point Trump has one hundred and
seventy eight electoral votes to Harris's one hundred and thirteen.
Remember it's the first to two seventy those crucial swing states.
Too early to call. But Matt Heath has just run
down to the Empire bar in Auckland where the Auckland

(00:40):
American Rather Chamber of Communist Watch Party is underway.

Speaker 3 (00:42):
Matt, how you doing good? Thank you?

Speaker 4 (00:45):
Tyler AmCham election celebration at the Empire. I'm looking around.
There's a lot of American flags, there's a few fries
on tables, there's a bit of champagne. There's an atmosphere
of nervous excitements. And I'm with Consul General at the
US Consulate in Auckland, Melissa Sweeney. Melissa, are you surprised
how much New Zealanders care about the American election?

Speaker 5 (01:06):
There has been something that's been pretty impressive to find,
To find so much analysis and interest in.

Speaker 3 (01:10):
What's happening in the US.

Speaker 5 (01:12):
I know it's been a pretty exciting and maybe unusual
campaign season for the United States, so we're happy to
provide your entertainment.

Speaker 3 (01:19):
It is very entertaining.

Speaker 4 (01:21):
How important is this election globally?

Speaker 5 (01:24):
I think this is an important election, just as any
of our presidential elections are. It's really important to also
remember that this election is not just about presidents.

Speaker 3 (01:32):
It's also about many many other.

Speaker 5 (01:35):
Officials that the US citizens will be going to vote for.
We've got members of Congress and the House representatives. Senate
is also up for some seats, and we also, of
course have a lot of elections at the municipal and
state who level. So it's a big, big exciting thing
for an American citizen and it should have some possibly
some ramifications for the world too.

Speaker 4 (01:53):
Yeah. I think a lot of New Zealanders don't understand
that we just focus on the president, but as the
president and sous the position and important. Sorry is it
the president and the down ballot is at fifty to
fifties or is the president eighty ninety? You've seen important.

Speaker 5 (02:11):
Because it depends on each individual voter, honestly, because there
are certain issues that resonate more and local politics is
very important to folks as well.

Speaker 3 (02:19):
So the president is incredibly important as far us.

Speaker 5 (02:22):
Setting the tone, but we also it's really incritical, like
who controls Congress. We've got two co equal branches of
government in addition to our judiciary, so what happens in
Congress will have a big impact on people's lives as well.

Speaker 3 (02:34):
How's it for you personally?

Speaker 4 (02:35):
Obviously it's a huge event and you don't know what's
going to happen back home. Obviously I've got family back there.
How's it for you personally to be following your home
election from the Empire Tavern and Central Auckland.

Speaker 3 (02:47):
It's actually pretty.

Speaker 5 (02:47):
Cool to have so much connectivity in this day and
a in the world, to be able to watch American
newsreels coming in live and getting those immediate results the
same that my family's experiencing in the US.

Speaker 3 (02:57):
So it's a pretty exciting.

Speaker 5 (02:59):
Way to sort of share the experience, even though I
feel like I'm, well, I more than halfway around the
world here in New Zealand.

Speaker 3 (03:04):
But it's pretty cool.

Speaker 4 (03:05):
Do you enjoy it as a food and and socializing?
Is it like a sporting event for you or you have.
You got too much, too much at stake for you
to have a good time.

Speaker 3 (03:16):
It's a little bit more at stake than a sporting events.

Speaker 5 (03:19):
It's kind of entering in the sense that as an
American citizen, I have an opportunity to vote, so I
get to actually vote.

Speaker 3 (03:25):
For who I would like to be in my bus.

Speaker 5 (03:26):
So of course we have a lot of little bit
more interest writing on the outcome of this type of
election than mebe once, Thank.

Speaker 3 (03:34):
You so much.

Speaker 4 (03:35):
That was console General at the US Consulate and Auckland,
Melissa Sweeney. Fanay, this event is really kicking off, and
I guess the question I've got a few, Tyler, is
so I stay down here and have a few drinks
and a bite, or do I come back to the
studio up the road.

Speaker 2 (03:50):
The buzz there sounds amazing, and I can almost hear
that you've got a bud light in your hand right now, Matt,
So I can't take that away from you. Just bring
me a couple of buds with you when you come
back up here, and maybe a hot time. So what's
the spread light there?

Speaker 4 (04:02):
Well, I'm looking at a table, a huge table of nacho's.
You've got fried chicken here, fries. As I said before
we got we've got some sort of corn things with
some prawns on it. There's some meat balls here. So look, yeah,
I probably won't come back to the studio and I'll
see you on the show tomorrow.

Speaker 1 (04:18):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (04:18):
Can you just grab as much as you can, put
it in your pockets and then just bring it back.
That's the Kiwi thing, isn't it?

Speaker 3 (04:24):
Just Okay, we're.

Speaker 2 (04:25):
Breaking that, you can.

Speaker 4 (04:26):
We're actually breaking up, Tyler.

Speaker 3 (04:27):
So yeah, I'll see you tomorrow.

Speaker 1 (04:28):
All right.

Speaker 3 (04:28):
Then I'm just getting myself a beer.

Speaker 1 (04:30):
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