SHAME and embarrassment were among the many emotions LeeAnn Clarke felt after learning Trump supporters had stormed the US Capitol.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
And she knew she wasn't the only American-born Australian resident feeling that way, watching the news unfold today.
Four people died and 52 people were arrested in relation to the violence, which came as Congress convened to certify the US election result.
"Every American I know living here is embarrassed," Mrs Clarke, a Bendigo resident, said.
Related:
The reasons for that sense of shame were many and varied.
"You're raised to be patriotic. You're raised to be proud to be an American," Mrs Clarke said.
Growing up in Kentucky, every single yard had an American flag flying on the porch.
Mrs Clarke said flying the flag had become divisive in recent years, with some in the US perceiving it as an endorsement of the state of the nation.
"When America is turning on itself you're ashamed and you're embarrassed," she said.
Related:
She also believed the violence at the Capitol was unsurprising for many.
"It's embarrassing to think it could actually escalate to this point that people aren't shocked about it," Mrs Clarke said.
Family members in the US were concerned for their own safety. Watching on from Australia, Mrs Clarke was worried for them.
"I don't think it's going to get better. I don't know how it can get better. There have got to be some massive changes... but it can't necessarily change overnight," she said.
She believed what had unfolded at the Capitol ought to be treated as an act of domestic terrorism, and those responsible should not be referred to as protesters.
Related:
Former Bendigo Advertiser journalist Mike Amor said it was a dangerous period for America - perhaps the most dangerous since the civil war.
He said his wife, an American citizen, had been in tears. Family members in Arizona were also distressed.
Amor said those responsible for the unrest in Washington did not represent America.
"There are many fair-minded Republicans out there," he said.
"These are just thugs and goons incited by you'd have to say a lunatic president. There's no point gilding the lily anymore."
Amor was incredulous at Trump's response to the violence, during which the outgoing American president reiterated some of his inflammatory notions about the election outcome.
Several social media platforms, including Twitter and Facebook, froze Trump's accounts after he used them to project his views.
Trump's comments seemed to endorse his supporters' actions, perpetuated misinformation about his defeat at the polls and discredited the democratic process.
"Let's be honest, Donald Trump lit this fuse months ago and it was building this way for months. Am I surprised? No. Am I horrified? Absolutely," Amor said.
"I don't think anyone would have imagined this is how a US election would end and this is what would happen at the seat of American power - the so-called seat of democracy.
"This is not how America peacefully transitions power."
Related:
The violence sparked debate about whether Trump was fit to serve the remainder of his term in office.
Amor said he would previously have thought the idea of enacting the 25th amendment and removing a president fanciful.
"I'm just not sure it is anymore," he said.
He was worried about whether the day's events marked an end to a dangerous period for the US, or the start of something even more dangerous.
"Donald Trump isn't going away. This sentiment isn't going away," Amor said.
He believed what had occurred showed even the most powerful of democracies were susceptible to chaos and tyranny.
"We should all look at this and just think democracy is sacred," Amor said.
"You're entitled to your beliefs, but democracy is sacrosanct. People vote and you abide by the result once they've spoken."