Donald Trump or Kamala Harris — The big question for a Welsh farmer ahead of the US election

Not every Carmarthenshire farmer must choose between Kamala Harris or Donald Trump on 5 November, but that's the big question facing Welshman Elfryn Thomas.

Elfryn, 47, spent his childhood on his grandparents' farm in Llanllwni, Carmarthenshire, but now, Phoenix, Arizona, is his home.  

The state in the south-west of the United States is 14 times the size of Wales, and is a battleground state in the Presidential Election between the Republican candidate Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris. 

  • 'It was my grandfather's dream to come to America'

"I'd been at the Agricultural College in Aberystwyth, and Wisconsin was the dairy capital of the world at the time," Elfryn told Siôn Jenkins in Monday's special episode of Y Byd ar Bedwar on S4C.

“It was my grandfather's dream to come out to America, so he came out here through me then.” 

Elfryn is married to Tami and they have four children. In 2015 he gave up his dream of becoming a dairy farmer and moved to Phoenix to run the family car company.

Elfryn moved thousands of miles away as a young man to work in the United States. Credit: Family Photo: Elfryn left, with his grandfather

With the future and success of his business a top priority, Elfryn believes former president Donald Trump is the best person to run the country when it comes to the economy. 

"He's a better businessman," Elfryn says. "When he was president before, everyone's business succeeded. The prices of milk, eggs and bread were a lot less, and now they just have... well, they've tripled! Trump wasn’t a politician when he came in as president — he was a businessman."

This will be the second time Elfryn has voted in a Presidential Election after becoming an American citizen in 2020. He has already experienced the political rifts which exist in the country, even at home with his wife, Tami, who is a registered Democrat. 

Elfryn and Tami were speaking with Siôn Jenkins in a special episode of Y Byd ar Bedwar about the US Presidential Election. Credit: Y Byd ar Bedwar

"I think he’s disgraceful," said Tami while describing her feelings towards Donald Trump.

"I think he’s disgraceful," said Tami, describing her feelings towards Donald Trump. She worries about abortion policy. The procedure is now banned in 13 of the 50 states following the US Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to eliminate the constitutional right to abortion.

With the married couple raising a teenage daughter, protecting women's rights is important to Elfryn and Tami. While Elfryn feels that current Vice-President Kamala Harris would do the best job of ensuring that, he has his doubts. 

"I think she's more genuine than Trump, but I'm not sure she's the person who's going to be able to turn the country back the way it was. Trump, I see, is the guy who can do something like that," he explained. 

  • ‘Trafficking on the border: it’s scary’

Another concern Elfryn has is immigration. Arizona shares a 400-mile border with Mexico, and immigration is one of the most important topics for Arizonans in the election. Once again, it's his daughter's safety which is on his mind when confronted with the subject. 

"With young children, it's scary for everyone here, especially young girls. There are some places we don’t let Ariana go. Sex trafficking is awful here; drug trafficking is awful here; drug cartels - they run back and forth through Arizona all the time. It's scary."

Donald Trump has promised mass deportations of those living in the US illegally, while Kamala Harris has said she will punish those who continue to cross the border without permission to do so. 

In a special programme of Y Byd ar Bedwar, Siôn Jenkins visits the rallies of Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. Credit: Y Byd ar Bedwar

The race between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris is expected to be historically close, with the outcome dependent on a handful of swing states which could vote either way. Those seven states are Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. 

Joe Biden narrowly won Arizona in 2020 with around 11,000 more votes than Donald Trump. When 150million Americans will turn up at ballot boxes on the morning of 5 November, 2024, the vote of undecided voters like Elfryn will be crucial. 

To get underneath the surface of the 2024 Presidential Election, you can watch Y Byd ar Bedwar on Monday, 28 October, at 8pm on S4C and BBC iPlayer.

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