Protests Emerge Across the Country in Opposition to Trump
Cities such as New York, Portland, and Los Angeles have been engulfed in protests since the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States. Some of these protests have been conducted peacefully, taking the form of marches and chants such as “Not my President”. However, in Portland, on Saturday night November 12th, police reported that protests of a less-than-peaceful nature had occurred with objects being thrown at law enforcement. Also, early Saturday, one individual had been shot at on Morrison Bridge in Portland; he survived, did not sustain potentially fatal injuries, and was taken to the hospital. In New York City, on Saturday, protests took place outside Trump Tower.
Mr. Trump, President-elect of the United States, has sent mixed messages about how he feels about the protests. Initially, he went on a brief diatribe against the protestors, using the social media platform, Twitter. However, later, also on Twitter, he sent out a more accepting response of the protestors, stating that they “have passion for our great country”.
After being defeated by Donald Trump in the election, Hillary Clinton, the former Democratic Presidential Candidate, struck a tone that promoted understanding and calm. In her concession speech on Wednesday November 9th, Mrs. Clinton said that the people of the United States should grant Mr. Trump “an open mind”.
On Thursday November 10th, President Barack Obama met with Mr. Trump at the White House to discuss the transition between the outgoing and incoming administrations. There seemed to have been a meticulous effort to uphold a demonstration of unity after a contentious and often divisive presidential campaign. While talking to the press after the meeting, sitting side-by-side with Mr. Trump, Mr. Obama said, “And I believe that it is important for all of us, regardless of party and regardless of political preferences, to now come together, work together, to deal with the many challenges that we face.” Despite having a fairly rocky relationship with the President, Mr. Trump also participated in the graciousness, in part by deeming Mr. Obama “a very good man”. However, it does not seem that this meeting has accomplished much by way of assuaging the emotions that propel dissenting voices to protest. As the President and the President-elect shook hands before the press, they only symbolically sealed a chasm that grows ever wider across the country.
Mr. Trump and President Obama shake hands (Credit Pablo Martinez Monsivais, AP) Photo taken from usatoday.com
Sources:
http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/13/us/protests-elections-trump/index.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/11/11/donald-trumps-twitter-responses-to-the-anti-trump-protests-were-contradictory-and-disconcerting/#comments
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/hillary-clinton-concession-speech-2016-donald-trump/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/11/10/obama-to-welcome-trump-to-white-house-for-first-meeting-since-election/
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2016/11/10/obama-trump-white-house-transition/93581810/ (where I got the picture)
