“You’re American!” is the first thing people say to me here when I speak. The next question is “So what do you think of Trump?”

I arrived in England for my spring study abroad semester at the beginning of January and at an interesting time when the whole world was watching as Donald Trump took an oath for the most powerful job in America.

And when I say the whole world, I really do mean the whole world; as of recently all eyes have been on the U.S.

America’s news is the world’s news and I quickly discovered that everyone I met here at the University of Reading, both British and international students alike, are extremely informed and up to date with American politics; they keep up with the news just as much, or maybe even more so, than many Americans tend to.

While many of the people I’ve meet don’t know where Wisconsin is on the map, they are very informed about current politics in the United States, and especially President Trump.

So, what does the world think about Trump, how has the world reacted to the election, and his recent executive orders?

The answer is nothing good. I have not met one single person in England who supports Trump or his policies. Most conversations about America’s politics tend to include phrases such as “America is a joke!” and “It’s insane he’s in office,” or “Why did the U.S. elect him?”

Raphael Forné, an international student from France, spoke on the matter: “I mean the American election was really weird this year, you had Obama and now Trump won… it’s absolutely crazy, it’s a tragedy for Black people, Muslims, and the environment.”

While some may think America’s new President is a joke and his twitter is a new form of entertainment, concerns and fear of his political agenda has risen all over the world.

“In my country, France, Trump’s election gave a lot of “hope” to the racist people in our country and to the FN who is led by Marine Lepen (a political group in France who are like ‘extreme Republicans’ in the U.S.),” says Forné.

It is apparent that concerns of Trump’s presidency isn’t just shocking Americans alone, but all eyes are on America, waiting and watching for what will happen next.

“The result of the recent election revealed the marginalization of some groups in society. Like Brexit, the elections were used as an opportunity to voice their dissatisfaction which the status quo. It will be interesting to see how beneficial the next year and beyond proves to be for those groups,” says, a British student at University of Reading.

The fact is, The United States has an enormous impact on the world, much more than I think many Americans realize. Until you’ve stepped outside of the country and viewed it from an outsider’s perspective, it can be hard to grasp just how extensive America’s influence is. American laws, policies, even social behaviors continue to make an impression on the rest of the world.

“Australia tends to throw blind and obsequious support behind anything America wants to do, so I don’t doubt that if Trump wants to invade a country on a whim, we’ll be right behind. But luckily his jurisdiction doesn’t quite extend to our borders so we’ll be spared a lot of lunacy” says Gen Glad, an international student from Australia, “Now that I’ve come to study abroad and met a majority of American people it’s become a lot more personal. I’m genuinely sad and scared at the prospect of how his presidency could affect my new friends.”

Studying abroad as an American during this time of change has been an interesting experience. While I am proud of my country, at time, people talk so scornfully of America’s current political state, I have found myself feeling embarrassed for my country and angry at how America is automatically associated and stereotyped from the actions of a President who does not adequately represent the demographical views and morals of America.

“Needless to say, it shocked absolutely everyone,” states Glad, “it’s going to be a tough four years for sure. I think most people are feeling the same thing – despair, fear, or perhaps they’re more galvanized into fighting against him… I don’t mean it lightly though when I say that his Muslim ban and pro-life zealotry has affected everyone with a heart, and as a human being, I am deeply, personally offended by many things he’s done.”

In my time here, I’m constantly being bombarded with questions about Trump, yet I am just as interested is learning how other countries view America’s current politics. I think we are all just all trying to understand what the next four years will mean for American, and the world.

Premela Kala, a British student remarked “The desperation that some Americans had for change is pretty evident since its now being embodied in the form of a corrupt, inexperienced businessman who has no idea about how the three-branch system works in American politics. But whether it will bring about the change those Americans who voted for him wanted, I guess we’ll have to wait and see…”