New York City Resists Trump Inauguration

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It was the day before Donald Trump was to be sworn into the White House when New York City’s Mayor, Bill de Blasio, called for a protest in front of Trump International Hotel, located just a few blocks away from where he lives at Trump Tower.

When arriving to the protest, I had no idea what to expect. There were plenty of police officers trying to direct the crowd to enter from 65 Street and Broadway. Many people were excited but were walking a bit slower than the pace I am used to. While walking over, others starting to chant: “Not My President” and “No Trump, No KKK, No Fascist US.”

While walking over to the entrance, I overheard people saying that they had come after work and school to support the protests, along with the many tourists saying how they had come from all over to protest this movement.

By the time I walked into the 65 Street entrance, I couldn’t believe the turnout. De Blasio announced the protest through Facebook and Twitter. Many retweeted and shared the post. The peaceful protest lasted about two and a half hours, as many felt united being surrounded by others that felt the same. It was nothing like the riots that took place in Washington D.C where cars were set on fire and building windows were smashed.

Celebrities like Mark Ruffalo, Alec Baldwin, Robert De Niro, Michael Moore, and many others attended along with other mayors and city officials of different cities. A crowd pleasure was when Alec Baldwin stepped out and started to do his impersonation of Donald Trump. He made a typical joke like what he would do on Saturday Night Live and it was a way to allow the crowd to ease up to what was about to happen the following day. Michael Moore gave hope to those by saying, “He [Trump] will not last the four years,” which resonated with the audience as they clapped, cried and chanted in response.

In 2008, when Barack Obama was elected as President, many also protested against him. In an article written by the Southern Poverty Law Center entitled, “Racist Backlash Meets President Barack Obama,” it said, “Only hours after Obama’s election, a predominantly black church in Springfield, Mass., was torched. Three white men were arrested just days before Obama’s Jan. 20 inauguration and charged with conspiring to deprive church congregants of their civil rights. Obama enthusiast Kaylon Johnson was beaten by men screaming, “(Expletive) President!”

A sign was placed inside a general store in Standish, Maine that read, “Osama Obama Shotgun Pool.” Customers could sign up to bet $1 on a date when the new president would be assassinated. “Stabbing, shooting, roadside bombs, they all count,” the sign said. At the bottom of the sign somebody had written, “Let’s hope someone wins.”

An employee of a gun-and-lock shop in Traverse City, Mich., flew the American flag upside down because he said it symbolized “an international signal for distress and we feel our country is in distress because the (expletive) got it.”

The day Donald Trump was sworn into the White House, anti-Trump demonstrators caused a ruckus in Washington D.C. The demonstrators started to clash with the Washington D.C. police. In CNN’s article, Police injured, more than 200 arrested at Trump inauguration protests in DC,” it stated, “Six police officers were injured and 217 protesters arrested Friday after a morning of peaceful protests and coordinated disruptions of Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremony gave way to ugly street clashes in downtown Washington.”

“Bursts of chaos erupted on 12th and K streets as black-clad “antifascist” protesters smashed storefronts and bus stops, hammered out the windows of a limousine and eventually launched rocks at a phalanx of police lined up in an eastbound crosswalk. Officers responded by launching smoke and flash-bang devices, which could be heard from blocks away, into the street to disperse the crowds.”

But is lashing out during a protest is the correct way of getting your voice heard? There have been stores after stores being destroyed during protests. When it was announced that Donald Trump was elected president, during the New York protesting, there were anti-Trump protesters who beat up a Trump supporter.

Youtuber Casey Neistat’s video entitled, Scenes From Donald Trump’s Inauguration, shows those who are pro and against Donald Trump. Casey had the option of attending the inauguration but instead decided not to attend. Instead, he went to go talk to people who were not attending the inauguration. In his video, he captures the anti-Trump protests and first hand experiences of what lashing out during a protest looks like. In the second half of this video, it shows broken glass, people breaking into cars, people throwing items at each other, smoke and even one person getting pepper sprayed.

According to Gallup poll published on Feb. 13, approval ratings on Trump hit a new low last week when he hit 40 percent approval rating. Nearly 55 percent of Americans disapproved of his administration’s job thus far, with five percent being undecided. His rating has sat in the mid 40s for most of his presidency, but Gallup states his travel ban and Cabinet shake ups the reason for the recent dip. Most other polls had him in the mid 40s, with one Rasmussen Reports, had him peak at 52 percent. 

The last few Presidents started out much higher after their inauguration, as Obama, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush all began their terms near the 60 percent approval mark. Obama left around the same mark, according to most polls, with Gallup stating he came in at 59 percent.

Historically, Bush has one of best approval rating in the past 75 years, a 90 in the weeks post 9/11. Yet his disapproval rating is also the highest, 71, when he was near leaving office eight years later. Other notable highs have been Clinton 73, George. H.W. Bush 89,Reagan 68, Carter 75, Ford 71, Nixon 67, Johnson 79, Kennedy 83, Eisenhower 79, Truman 87, and Franklin D. Roosevelt 84. Trump’s highest approval rating has been 46, while Obama peaked at 69.