While Tuesday may have been the biggest news day in several years for the United States (and, arguably, the world), at the American Film Market in Las Vegas, guests would have been forgiven for not knowing that a presidential election was actually taking place.

Although Nevada is a swing state, the screens in the city’s casino halls and bars on Tuesday night were almost entirely showing sporting events – with perplexed visitors struggling to find a place to watch the games. results arrive. AFM attendees could be spotted a mile away from the rest of the Vegas population: they were the only ones glued to their phones, looking perplexed as red began to fill the map of the United States.

“I doubt any bars will broadcast the election because we don’t want things to get political and heated — because politics is the surest way to start a fight,” noted one bartender. In seconds, she proved her point: The mere mention of the election prompted one drinker to loudly shout his dislike for Kamala Harris.

It was worry about a fight that actually kept many U.S. and foreign leaders away from this year’s AFM, particularly because of fears of a violent uprising if Harris had won. When Trump lost in 2020, his supporters attacked the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

This time it wasn’t a problem: Trump won the election by a landslide.

“You can now say you were in Las Vegas when the biggest wild card ended American democracy,” said one AFM visitor, echoing the somber mood that was felt in the stock market. movie the next morning. (“What the fuck?” seemed to be a common statement.)

One U.S. distributor said he watched the election with a group of international leaders and could sense widespread disappointment.

“What was very evident when we were all talking last night is that America has always represented sort of an ideal for so many different parts of the world, culturally, for so long,” he said. As Europe has drifted toward the far right for more than a decade, with Italy, Poland, France and other countries witnessing the rise of populist parties, the United States was seen as a refuge against political upheaval. That was until Trump’s first election victory in 2016. His re-election has now completely destroyed that image.
“People used to come to America for a different experience in the land of milk and honey, but that’s not the case anymore. The challenges facing the rest of the world are no different in America. It’s no longer a beacon on the hill.

Another AFM participant added: “It’s a reality check. The fact that the Republicans won the popular vote and the electoral college shows that this is the direction the country wants to go.

But what impact could Trump’s second term have on popular culture?

According to a distribution executive, this may not affect the independent and specialized sector whose films do not necessarily appeal to Trump supporters. For studio films, it’s a different story. “When they release on 4,000 screens, they need the whole country to react to their films.”

Despite the Republican victory in the elections and the Senate, there is a sense that Hollywood and the rest of the largely left-leaning entertainment industry will not abandon their defense of social justice and progressive ideals.

“Cultural change doesn’t just come from laws and regulations,” explains the boss of an independent studio. “Media and entertainment are one of the most powerful forces in establishing the status quo and what we seek as societal norms. In a precarious time, when a bigot of hate is able to legislate, the media has a heavy responsibility to transmit messages of equality, representation and acceptance.
He added: “We need to look at how to normalize many of the social issues that divided us so that this doesn’t happen again. »

At a time of massive consolidation in the film and television sector, entertainment players are also wondering about the impact of Trump’s victory on mergers and acquisitions activity.

“Trump being a Republican favors deregulation and wants more open market activity so he can potentially create more business,” said one American buyer.

As Republicans regain control of the US Senate, other hot-button entertainment issues are at stake: AI regulation and copyright laws.

In France, President Emmanuel Macron said Variety recently about its efforts to establish a framework to regulate the responsibility of actors who distribute AI and define the rules for knowing what is true and what is false. “One can predict that Republican lawmakers will not go out of their way to pass legislation to protect creators or combat hate speech and misinformation online. Especially considering the influence of X boss Elon Musk on Trump’s victory,” said a French industry executive who has lived in the United States for two decades.

(Variety The reporters eventually managed to find a place to watch the election – an Irish bar where the only people interested were tourists, and Trump’s victory was recorded by a man singing Bob Marley covers.)