Trump and the dilemma of the Ukrainian diaspora in Pennsylvania — DW report from Pittsburgh

The road from Washington to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 400 kilometers to the west, leads through sun-drenched crimson forests. On the few big boards on the side of the road, there are quotes from the Bible or the laconic inscription: “Trump”.

Pennsylvania is one of the seven swing states, or so-called “shaky” states, in which the majority of voters in the elections support either Republicans or Democrats. Here it is decided who will win the presidential election on November 5 — Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris or her Republican opponent, former President Donald Trump.

Pennsylvania is the most important state because it gives the most electoral votes among all the “swing” states (19), who elect the head of the White House. In the days leading up to the election, Pennsylvania is split nearly evenly: 49 to 49. Some polls have Trump ahead of Harris by one percentage point or less.

The fate of the elections may be determined by several tens of thousands of votes, and these may be votes with a Ukrainian accent. Pennsylvania is home to the second largest Ukrainian diaspora in America — more than 100,000. Who will they vote for? And what role does US support for Ukraine in the war waged by Russia play in the choice?

Pittsburgh, the second largest city in the state of Pennsylvania – the most important “shaky” state / Photo: Roman Goncharenko/DW

Who are the Ukrainians of western Pennsylvania voting for — and why?

No one knows the exact answer to these questions, such polls are not conducted. Publications in the American press suggest that the majority of Ukrainian Americans in Pennsylvania will vote for Harris, but Trump can also count on considerable support. In private conversations, various assumptions are heard – 20, 30 percent for Trump, and maybe even more.

Ukrainian emigrants in Pennsylvania live mainly in two large communities – in the east around Philadelphia, and in the west – near Pittsburgh, the second largest city in the state. The west is more industrial, part of the so-called “industrial belt” of the USA, which experienced decline in the second half of the 20th century.

There are differences of opinion between Americans in eastern and western Pennsylvania, says Stephen Halushchak, an activist in the Ukrainian community in Pittsburgh and the author of the book “Ukrainians of Western Pennsylvania”. “We are much more conservative than people in the east, on the coast,” says Halushchak, adding that this applies to everyone, not just those with Ukrainian roots. Politically, this means “greater support for the Republican Party” and “traditional values.”

Steven Galushchak / Photo: Roman Goncharenko/DW

Halushchak is a third-generation Ukrainian American. His ancestors emigrated to the USA before the First World War. We meet at the Ukrainian club in Carnegie, a small suburb of Pittsburgh. The skyscrapers of the big city are nearby, but here is a different, two-story America. Conservatism also means a greater influence of the church than in the eastern United States, Galushchak says. According to him, there are several dozen Ukrainian churches in western Pennsylvania.

How Ukrainian priests prayed at Trump rallies

Across the road from the club, the domes of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, built here more than 100 years ago, sparkle. Young pastor John Cherest says that most of his parishioners do not touch the topic of politics in the church, but this election he himself found himself in the center of it. In early October, Cherest led a prayer at Trump’s second rally in Butler, the Pennsylvania town where the candidate was assassinated in July. A photo of Trump with a bloody ear went viral.

Then, in the summer, another Ukrainian priest from Carnegie – Jason Cherron from the Ukrainian Catholic Church of the Holy Trinity – said the prayer. He is known, among other things, for actively using social networks. At the second rally in Butler, Trump’s team wanted to do everything again, including the priest, but since Cherron couldn’t, they invited him, Cherest says. According to him, they are close friends, and although they belong to different churches, they hold a joint service every week “prayer for peace in Ukraine”.

Pastor John Cherest / Photo: Roman Goncharenko/DW

At the rally in October, Cherest did not mention Ukraine in his prayer, but did so later, privately. “I was told that I would have two minutes with Trump, but it turned out that it was only for a photo. When I had to leave after the photo, I came back and said to him: “Mr. Trump, you need to be firmer in our actions regarding Ukraine,” says Cherest. — It was a little unexpected for him, because I only had to take a picture. He looked at me and asked if I was Ukrainian. I answered, yes, and that it should be stopped (war), if he is elected. Trump began to say that under his presidency this would never have happened, as he had said before. I said it has to stop and that we don’t want to lose any part of our land.”

Ukrainian Orthodox Church of St. Peter and St. Paul in Carnegie / Photo: Roman Goncharenko/DW

Participating in Trump’s rally caused a mixed reaction among churchgoers, Cherest admits: “Half the congregation was proud, half was offended by it, they were very disappointed that I did it.” The priest had to explain that he “did not support any of the candidates, but said a prayer.” He says he would have prayed at the Harris rally as well.

The dilemma of the Ukrainian diaspora in the elections

For many conservative voters with Ukrainian roots, the current US presidential election is a big dilemma, or as Steven Galushchak says, “an upheaval.” Most, like the rest of America, are concerned about the state of the economy, inflation and migration — areas where Trump is leading in polls in Pennsylvania. There are also those who oppose abortion — another Republican theme.

But above all this is Russia’s war against Ukraine and the fear that Trump may reduce the critical military support of Kyiv, which he and his entourage are not ready for with hinted

These fears are especially acute in conversations with those who came to the United States from Ukraine relatively recently, already during independence, such as former Lviv journalist Oksana Lernatovych. “Diasporians are very worried about the war, everyone is helping, going to rallies, everyone is in pain,” says Lernatovych, who has been teaching Ukrainian at the University of Pittsburgh for more than 10 years. For people like her, the main question is how the future US president will treat Ukraine’s support and victory.

Oksana Lernatovych / Photo: Roman Goncharenko/DW

Taras Filenko, a pianist and musicologist from Pittsburgh, who talks about Ukraine at his concerts and lectures, has a similar position. “Now the question is whether Ukraine will be or will be almost destroyed,” says Filenko, a former teacher at the Kyiv Conservatory who has lived in the US since the 1990s. “I’m afraid that with the arrival of Trump, this trouble may happen.” He adds that if Harris wins, “it may not be brilliant,” but he expects Washington’s continued assistance to Kyiv.

Steven Galushchak admits that the war in Ukraine hurts especially those who emigrated recently, but also those who, like him, were born in the USA: “We are Americans first, but we love Ukraine and our identity.”

Galushchak says that, according to his estimates, Trump’s support among Ukrainians in western Pennsylvania was higher in the previous election. He says that this time, some of those who previously voted for Trump are hesitant to the last. On Monday, November 4, the day before the election, both candidates — Trump and Harris — will come to Pittsburgh at the same time to hold rallies.