LONDON — More than 4,000 miles from home, small groups of Democratic and Republican voters in the British capital gathered within 3 miles of each other to witness what both sides saw as one of election, if not the most important in American history.

There are some 306,000 American voters in the United Kingdom, according to the Federal Voting Assistance Program, making them the second largest foreign voting bloc behind their 660,000 compatriots in Canada.

Those who gathered in London on Tuesday presented very different visions crafted by very different directors.

Vice President Kamala Harris pledged to give her opponents “a seat at my table,” promising to bridge the growing divides that fracture American political culture. She called former President Donald Trump a “fascist” seeking “unchecked power.”

Trump had threatened to launch the army against what he calls “the enemy within”, telling his supporters that they “will no longer have a country” if he does not win back the White House. The former president still baselessly claims he won the 2020 election and was reluctant to commit to accepting the results of Tuesday’s vote if he lost again.

The Democrats Abroad event kicked off in central London just before polling closed, as confidence was high among Democratic voters in the UK and elsewhere. The group has booked its event location until Wednesday morning, preparing for a long wait for a clear outcome.

However, by the early hours of Wednesday morning, Trump had claimed victory as he approached the all-important 270 electoral college vote mark. Harris canceled her planned speech at Howard University in Washington, D.C., as supporters walked away.

The chair of the Democrats Abroad in the UK, Kristin Wolfe, was among those extremely confident in the final hours of the vote.

“I feel like it’s really going to be the night,” she told ABC News. “Not only are we going to turn a page on this old, outdated rhetoric that has been coming out of the Trump camp for nine years, but we can also expect something just as optimistic.”

The ornamentation was assured. The venue for the event, details of which have not been released for security reasons, was decorated with red, white and blue banners, hung around countless posters bearing Harris’ campaign refrain, “When we Let’s fight, we win.”

“I’m trying not to get too excited,” said Harris supporter PK Whalen. “We’ve been disappointed before.”

One volunteer told ABC News that he felt like “a happy warrior” and was “completely and totally convinced” that Harris would win.

Others were less sure, but still positive. “I can either worry or hope for the best,” said Kshitij Kumar, a participant.

The organized republican footprint in the UK is weaker. Unlike the group Democrats Abroad UK which is organized and funded by the Democratic Party, Republicans Overseas is not officially part of the GOP.

Republican organizers like Greg Swenson still expect their team to place second in the U.K., given that Americans living in the country favor demographic, educational and economic groups with which Democrats typically perform better. Some groups, however – particularly the UK’s approximately 10,000 military personnel – lean somewhat to the right.

Swenson and a handful of colleagues planned to gather at a central London bar on Tuesday to track the results while juggling media appearances. A larger event was planned for Wednesday evening. “I hope it’s a victory party,” Swenson told ABC News.

Otherwise, Swenson said he hopes for a clear outcome and a gracious response from Trump. “If Trump doesn’t accept the results of the election, I don’t think it’s good news,” he said, adding that the former president’s baseless claims of election theft in 2020 were “insane” from the campaign’s point of view.

“I would love for Trump to win by multiple points,” Swenson said. “And if Kamala wins, good for her. I hope it’s by five points.”

Foreign policy does not usually move things significantly in U.S. presidential elections, although its importance may be heightened somewhat in 2024 with ongoing wars in Eastern Europe and the Middle East in which forces Americans are deeply involved – and in some cases, directly threatened.

Foreign policy will likely be a more pressing concern for Americans living outside the country, as will the idea that this week’s election will place the country in one of two very different international roles.

Trump’s message to the world, Swenson said, is that America remains “a land of opportunity, and there’s a reason why people want to move here.”

“We can prosper again, it’s better for the world and we can bring peace,” he added, while acknowledging that Trump “might exaggerate a little on that.”

“People may not miss Trump, but they miss peace and prosperity. And I think Americans living abroad are a little closer to that.”

The former president’s embrace of controversial figures like Elon Musk, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, Swenson said, suggests that the new Republican movement is one of “resource-oriented people.” ‘future and future-oriented which are not those of yesterday’. news.”

For Trump’s opponents, his election would mean a return to defiant nationalism, outright transactionalism, and fawning praise of authoritarians.

If Trump wins, “that means we can’t give up,” Wolfe said.

“But I don’t think that’s going to happen. I think the American people know exactly what Donald Trump stands for, and they don’t like it.”