Vernuccio’s View of the Trump MAGA Inaugural

Frank V. Vernuccio, Jr., J.D.

Frank V. Vernuccio, Jr., J.D.

by Frank V. Vernuccio, Jr., J.D. 

I attended and witnessed both President Donald J. Trump’s inaugural address from the Capitol,and the surrounding protests.

My work began just before I left The Bronx.  Flights and trains were already booked (and it would have been impossible to find parking) so I took an interstate bus.

My cab driver to the bus terminal had, decades ago, emigrated from the Dominican Republic.  He mentioned that, to the dismay of his friends, he supported Trump.  “Things keep getting worse in this country, especially over the last eight years.  It’s time for a big change,” he stated.

The bus (which broke down in Secaucus and had to be replaced) was largely populated by protesters, some of whom were heading to McPherson Square to demonstrate during the inaugural, while others planned to take part in the women’s march the following day. Many wore buttons that bore obscene phrases about President Trump, while others had signs accusing him of being a racist, a Nazi, a homophobe, or a misogynist.

I asked a number of the passengers which Trump statements or policies led them to their concerns. The responses generally fell into one of four categories: 1) Trump was a billionaire, which they felt made him incapable of understanding the concerns of everyday people; 2) he was a Republican, which they believed automatically made him despicable; 3) his statements about gaining control of the borders meant he was a white supremacist.

It was the fourth category which had the most respondents, however: the presidency should have gone to Hillary Clinton, and both the fact that Trump won, and at times during the campaign,  personally criticized her which to them was unacceptable. They were particularly galled when he called her a “nasty woman,” and several had buttons which read “A nasty woman against Trump.”

 

Trump Inauguration 2017Trump’s speech was certainly not hard-core conservatism. He filled his speech with references about infrastructure and neglected American workers.

An objective analysis of the speech reveals two main targets of his blunt comments. First, both Democrat and Republican legislators and bureaucrats who made lucrative and extended careers by centering power in Washington, DC while not delivering — and even obstructing — solutions to the nation’s problems. Trump stated, “What truly matters is not which party controls our government, but whether our government is controlled by the people … We will no longer accept politicians who are all talk and no action – constantly complaining but never doing anything about it.” Second, the governments of those nations who enriched themselves by engaging in unfair economic policies towards America, while at the same time benefiting from U.S. assistance.

The new President overturned eight years of White House reluctance to confront Muslim extremism by condemning, in no uncertain terms, “radical Islamic terrorism, which [his administration] will eradicate completely from the face of the Earth.”

Trump Inaugural Parade 2017

The ethnically diverse crowd at the Capitol Mall responded enthusiastically to just about every phrase.

Interestingly enough, the loudest and most sustained “boos” for the invited dignitaries were not aimed at Mrs. Clinton, but for Senator Charles Schumer, who included a number of subtle criticisms of the new President in his guest remarks.  Schumer remains unpopular with many for his 2014 legislative proposals which would have weakened First Amendment protections for certain types of political speech.

After the ceremony, I ventured over to McPherson Square, where the collective mood was decidedly different. An angry crowd shouted epithets at police officers, journalists, and passersby (whose business attire stereotyped them as pro-Trump).

Most of their signs and banners, rather than criticizing specific policies, tended to be broad generalizations or profane comments about Trump, his family, and Republicans.

Frank V. Vernuccio, Jr., J.D. is the editor-in-chief of the New York Analysis of Policy & Government and the co-host of the popular WVOX weekly radio show, “And Nothing But The Truth.”

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