High school students protesting Trump's election as president of the United States
Washington - The streets of Washington DC are filled with people both for and against the president-elect.
Published: Sat 12 Nov 2016, 7:51 PM
Last updated: Mon 14 Nov 2016, 5:42 PM
In the days following the election of Donald Trump as president of the United States, Washington DC has been abuzz with protests and impromptu political debates as hundreds of people - both locals and transplants from other states - take to the streets to voice their opinions on the vote.
In particular, Pennsylvania Avenue and Lafayette Square in front of the White House have become focal points for those who seeking to criticize Donald Trump and his history of inflammatory remarks, and those - even in overwhelmingly Democratic-leaning Washington DC - who are applauding his election.
To get a sense of the mood on the streets of Washington, Khaleej Times went out to speak to some of them as the president-elect paid his first visit to the White House to meet with President Barack Obama.
"Damaging to every human person"
Washingtonian Maureen Betts said that her opposition to Trump stems more from the type of person she believes he is rather than his political leanings.
"As a person, I think the words and the actions that he's used in the past are problematic," she said. "I'm not upset there will be a Republican in the White House, or that there won't be a Democrat or a woman. I'm upset that the person that's in the White House has done and said these things that are damaging to every human person."
"I'm disappointed that that seems to be okay with a large part of this country."
"We should not accept this"
Deborah Klaus, from Arlington, Virginia, said she will be will protesting "every spare moment" that she has.
"I don't think we should accept this. I'm not saying don't accept the outcome of the election, but don't be forced to say he represents you," she said. "He needs a level of repudiation. Too many people were afraid to repudiate him. You want to be on the right side of history, and too many people were scared to forcefully repudiate him."
"It's now up to the people to say he's not our president," she added. "Don't force us to roll over. His policies are just a fundamental kick in the face to democracy. Over our dead bodies he will build a wall. That's not American. We are a country of immigrants."
"It's important to make a statement"
Despite being unable to vote, a group of ten high school students were on hand to make their views about Trump known.
"It's important to make a statement, about the unfairness of the electoral college, about the necessity of starting a trend of activism for the next four years," remarked a young man who gave his name only as Finn. "Trump will be our president. The only thing we can do to resist non-violently is to let our voices be heard."
Another young activist, Theo, who didn't give his surname, said that he was concerned about a global shift towards right-wing leaders.
"You have Brexit, Marine Le Pen and the rise of a far-right party in Germany. It's definitely worrying."
"I feel ashamed of being American"
New Yorker Lluvia Perez, the daughter of a Dominican immigrant father and a Puerto Rican mother, said she felt "totally disappointed" in her country.
"I feel ashamed of being American today, and I'm scared of all the people who came out to support this man, who represents everything wrong with America," she said. "He represents misogyny, racism, Islamophobia. I'm just really disgusted."
"I can't pledge allegiance to my country anymore and I'm not going to," she said. "That's 100 percent."
Perez reserved her strongest words for Trump's Vice President, Mike Pence.
"The president is bad enough but the vice-president is 100 times worst," she said. "If you read about what he actually stands for and everything he's done, it's really scary stuff."
"He was the change agent"
Although the crowds that gathered were overwhelmingly in support of Clinton, several young Trump supporters came to voice their views as well. One of them, Tennessee native Matthew Hurtt, said that he expects that Trump will tone down the rhetoric and work to unite the people of the United States.
"I think that the effort to unite the country will be strong. I think there's a tremendous opportunity to reach out to disaffected groups," he said. "I think you can't be a successful businessman without putting into practice successful business practices."
"I think he'll implement some of those, which will be inclusive, not only in Washington but across the country," he added. "Trump's message was to fight for the working class, those who have been unheard for so long."
"He was the change agent in this election."
"I didn't vote"
Veronica, a Muslim-American from Chicago who studies at Howard University in Washington DC - who declined to give her surname - said she felt "disgusted and sad" at the outcome of the election.
"People will be hurt not by his presidency, but by his supporters and the way they now feel that they can behave," she said. "But his acceptance speech was not what I expected. Somebody may have gotten into his ear and told him he can't run a nation that way. But I think he'll probably slip up and let his true feelings out."
"Honestly, I didn't vote for anyone though," she added. "I believe that everyone will one day be judged for their deeds. If I voted for Hillary for example and she did something atrocious to people, I'd feel accountable for it. I don't want to be a part of it."
"I just hope this election helps minorities in this country see that all we truly have is each other, and we can bring about meaningful change and make people's lives better."
- bernd@khaleejtimes.com
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