Americans across the political spectrum view the inauguration of Donald Trump, their 45th president, with wildly different expectations — from excitement and elation to despondency and dread. Here are some of their thoughts:
- Deni Dillon, 60, owner of a small business in Detroit, was en route to attend Trump’s inauguration: “I’m super excited because I really do believe this is to be the start for good things for America. I hope that all the people that are protesting and having trouble will see as time goes on that they will stop being upset, that they will see how things are going to improve.“My hope is that the borders will be secure, that the people that need help in the United States — the veterans, senior citizens, disabled people — will get first priority. We might be the Motor City again.”
- Holly Morganelli, 36, from Miami, Florida, is “disheartened, disappointed, anxiety-ridden and despondent” over Trump’s election: “I truly feel that this country is moving backward, away from positive progress in terms of racial, ethnic and gender equality, away from taking responsibility for the future of humanity, animals and our environment. “I no longer believe that most of my fellow Americans hold these beliefs and values.”
- Rebecca Brannon, 25, from Eden Prairie, Minnesota, volunteered for Trump’s campaign and was invited to the inauguration: “I hope he stays true to kind of who he is. I don’t want him to be too conservative and I don’t want him to be too liberal. I really think he’s that middle-of-the-road kind of guy.”
- Jim Chilton, 77, is a rancher and “irredeemable deplorable” who lives along the Arizona-Mexico border: “I’m so excited about Trump’s wall that my socks are rolling up and down. I hope the Trump presidency unites the country and brings about a thriving economy.”
- Noelle Cullimore, 54, a mother from New York, voted for Trump’s Democratic rival Hillary Clinton: “He sounds even less intelligent to me than before — if that is possible. That whole thing with the election and Russia was so bizarre. Frankly, I am even more worried now that he is about to take office. I don’t know what to expect.”
- Dan Peterson (55) is a plumber in Hopkins, Minnesota: “I’m not looking for Trump to do anything. I just want him to open up the floodgates of opportunity. I don’t want some bureaucrat to tell me who to hire, how much I have to pay them.“The only thing I want any president to do is to secure our freedoms … press freedom, free expression, individuality, the freedom to earn, to work your tail off and to keep as much of what you’ve earned yourself.”
- Marina Woolcock, 72, lives in a retirement community in Florida: “We are looking forward to the first 100 days. We have great hope that this administration will keep the country together. “First of all and most important, we are going to be more secure in our country. I think we are concerned about the new normal we are having, with all these individuals who are being radicalised.”
- Denise Galvez, 41, is a Cuban-American from Miami: “We need a security plan for this country. We can’t allow any more terror attacks like Fort Lauderdale. Each time it strikes closer to our homes. We need to identify who is attacking us. And they haven’t done that yet because they are so worried about insulting any one group — about political correctness. They have not taken this seriously.“I know he will be the least popular president in the country’s history — and I understand that. I have never blindly followed him, but I think he deserves a chance.”
- James Finch, 78, a retired supervisor from Conklin in New York, which has lost jobs and industry, wants Trump to promote employment and natural gas drilling in his area: “I think it’s tremendous what he’s getting done; he’s being fair and looking at all sides and all opinions. “We’ve been really lambasted over the last eight years. We’ve lost all our industry and everything going overseas … I hope he can get some of those other companies that are coming back to locate in upstate here.”
- Hiba Nasser, 20, is a US-born Muslim- American psychology and criminal justice student at Wayne State University in Detroit: “I’m kind of scared, a little. Not as scared as I was when he first got elected, because right after that there were so many hate crimes. I feel like it has settled down a bit. “I’d like to think that he has minorities in his mind, because we are the foundations of this country … I’m hoping the hate rhetoric is going to be less, that he gives a platform for minorities in the country.”
- Aislinn Pulley, 35, is a founder of the local Black Lives Matter movement in Chicago: “The fear is that a McCarthyesque crackdown will be administered, which will affect everyone, especially groups and individuals who have been a part of the current movement to demand an end to police murders and police terror. That’s a threat and a real fear that many of us are planning on resisting.” — AFP