If Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton, the younger doctor would leave New York State and return home to Australia.

Well, Mr Trump became president Trump in early 2017, but Dr Porges remained in the US.

On the phone from his home in Norwalk, Connecticut, Dr Porges laughed at the memory of the deal he made with his father.

"I was amazed I could suffer through four years of Trump," he said.

The Central Western Daily spoke with Dr Porges shortly after the polls had closed in New York State.

The US was in limbo as votes were counted to decide whether president Trump or former vice-president Joe Biden would lead the country for the next four years.

He had voted at a local Norwalk school at 6am Tuesday US time.

"When I arrived at ten to six there was no-one there, but when I came out after voting at about ten past six, there was a queue of about 50 people waiting to vote."

Dr Porges said that when he was in New York City - about 40 minutes from Norwalk - on the weekend, it was "shocking" to see shops boarded up ahead of potential social unrest.

"All the fancy stores, the jewellery stores, restaurants," he said.

"People are preparing for pretty significant social disturbance.

"I think it will probably be anti-climactic, but it depends on what happens.

"If it is close then there's going to be a lot of anger on both sides, but if it's decisive one way or the other then I think people will accept the result."

The former Orange High School student said that while "there's no doubt what's going to happen in New York State, no doubt about California, or Kentucky or West Virginia", middle states such as Georgia and Wisconsin were critical.

Dr Porges slammed president Trump's handling of the COVID pandemic, and said he found footage of a Joe Biden bus being surrounded by Trump supporters as "terrifying".

"The good news is the FBI is investigating and so far the institutions of the country are not tolerating that degree of interference and insurrection.

"There are people who think the viability of democracy is at stake in this election; we'll have to see whether that's true or not."

Dr Porges usually travels back to Orange three or four times a year.

However COVID and the thought of two weeks in quarantine have kept him in the US all year.

Among the things he misses most is the food at Lolli Redini and Mr Lim.

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