Greek-Americans have a history of high voter turnout in the United States compared to other ethnic groups. It’s an unsurprising trend considering Greece pioneered the democratic system that strongly influenced America’s own political structure.
This year, several prominent Greek-American politicians have voiced their support for President Donald Trump, with one predicting a 75% Greek-American turnout for Trump in 2024. Historically, the Greek community has leaned toward conservatism, influenced by their Orthodox religious values, traditional family roles, and anti-communism sentiments.
Greek-Americans are concentrated in several key states, including New York, Illinois, Florida, Ohio, and California. Florida and Ohio are crucial swing states in 2024, meaning the Greek vote might play a major role in deciding this year’s presidential election.
While much of the Greek Diaspora supports Donald Trump, there is no extensive research to support this. A 2020 poll by Signet Research via the Greek Reporter found that 48% said they would vote for Trump, 22% intended to vote for a Democratic nominee, 17% said they would vote for “anyone but Trump” and 11% replied they would probably vote for a Democratic candidate.
The list of influential Greek Americans voicing support for Trump is long. Billionaire John Catsimatidis, CEO of Red Apple Group, explained his support for Trump’s reelection: “You have to look at the difference between the Trump era and the Joe Biden era,” said Catsimatidis. “When President Biden came in, he doubled the price of gasoline to the consumer, and he increased the price of food 30-40% – because of the doubling of the price of gasoline – and that’s what caused the inflation, so as inflation went up, the Fed had no choice but [to] raise the interest rates, which put the real estate market in a turmoil and then put the banks in a turmoil.”
Nevada Lieutenant Governor Stavros Anthony also backs Trump, citing a lower cost of living and fewer global conflicts — Russia and Ukraine, Israel and Palestine — under Trump’s administration.
Meanwhile, Kathy Tavoularis is a City Council member of Orange County, CA who has supported Trump since 2016. “I know many, many Greeks who are supportive of Trump. I don’t think they’re doing anything officially other than supporting him, voting for him, maybe sending him some money,” Tavoularis said.
Christos Marafatsos is a Greek American entrepreneur and Day 1 Trump supporter who projects a 75% Greek support of Trump over Harris, according to his internal polls. Like many others, he cited the improved economy under Trump’s reign and better Greek-U.S. relations against Turkish aggression as leading factors for his support.
In Greece, the Greek people are divided and invested in the outcome of the 2024 election, with many right-leaning Greeks voicing a “Greece first” sentiment that copies former President Trump’s “America First” tagline. However, many in the moderate and left support Kamala, as the extreme left in Greece tends to support neither due to both candidate’s support of Israel and Zionism over Palestine.