Donald Trump: hated in the big city, loved on the inside
A pick-up vehicle travels down Broadway Avenue in Manhattan. A giant Donald Trump head occupies the trailer.
Carry a couple of posters. On the back it reads: "Vote for me and die." On the passenger side, this other illustrated message: the word "support" is next to the drawing of a skull. Below this another expression: "Trump mobile death."
The driver, middle-aged, a neighbor of the wealthy and progressive Upper West Side, assured that he has no respect for this president. “He is the worst in the history of the country. He does not mind sending us to the other world if he can achieve re-election, ”he stressed before starting to change the traffic light on 79th Street.
The management of the coronavirus has increased New Yorkers' contempt for Trump.
There are other scenes on the eve of elections in the city where the president of the United States was born 74 years ago and a candidate for a second term.
The latest polls maintain the advantage of Biden, but there is mistrust after the error of 2016
This Halloween celebration, usually with a lot of color for the costumes, lacks the atmosphere of other occasions. At this time when the masks have been integrated into the common wardrobe, this Saturday the unease, the uncertainty was palpable. There was much less decoration and crowds roaming the streets.
For added desolation, the party coincided with a night of low temperature. This caused the terraces, despite the stoves, to have a much lower turnout than usual, while the operators worked overtime to seal the stores with plywood plates for fear of post-election incidents.
This is another difference from past appointments at the polls.
A graffiti on the sidewalk. "This is the last Halloween we have a monster in the White House." Right next to it, a couple has a table installed on which political advertising badges are sold. Very pro Joe Biden, the Democratic candidate.
In one he is with Kamala Harris, "a battle for the soul of America", says the legend. "We will comb him," says another where Trump appears with wild hair. "Trump lies, people die" or "When you choose a clown, you have a circus", with the president made up like a clown. "He is going to win again," replied the seller of those pins. "He tastes bad to me, it hurts, but he's going to win," she insisted. Her partner in her business corrected her: "No, Joe Biden is going to win."
The shadow of 2016 is elongated. Then, as now, the polls gave Trump the loser and they were wrong. The latest polls released this Sunday keep Biden ahead, ten points nationally and leading in key states.
The doubts are, however, more than evident in the face of these forecasts. There is a certain fact: more than 91 million Americans have already voted in advance, a record figure that augurs a much higher turnout than in other elections. The more participation, the more options for Biden, experts say.
It is said that no one is a prophet in his land and Donald Trump attests. In his hometown he reaped one of the worst results four years ago. Hillary Clinton received 79% of the vote, to 19% from Trump. She only maintains two strongholds, a white enclave in the Staten Island district and another of the same color in Breezy Point, a gated community on the beach, in Queens. There you can see posters that would be more than rare in other parts of the city: "Yes, I am a Trump girl."
These two islets connect directly to the interior of the US In a recent trip to four rural states, where Trump keeps his barn, many voters consider him a successful businessman, an admirable billionaire. This opinion contrasts with that held by many New Yorkers, for whom Trump inherited the business from his father, who was on the verge of ruin and who is a corrupt who does not pay taxes.
"I see people on television who hate that I voted for Trump, as if he had done something wrong," says Beau Ravellette, editor of local newspapers based in Philip, South Dakota. "President Trump has been treated with disrespect and because of him the economy has boomed, even in a small town like this," he added.
"They are not going to scare me with the pandemic," remarked Scott Kennedy, a rancher. "I am not concerned with how he has managed this crisis, but he is a builder, he gets things done," he added.
Bob Coronato, an artist born in New Jersey, trained in California and based in Hulett, Wyoming, remarked how rare it is that a New Yorker, who perhaps the greenest thing he has ever seen is a golf course, is adored in inside. “He has given you good things. He has abolished environmental regulations, measures much admired in cities where they do not suffer from them, and most rural communities have felt a relief. Their hands were tied by those regulations. "
