Americans voice as Trump enters the White House

Washington DC, Thursday

As Donald Trump prepares to take the helm of a divided nation, Americans across the political spectrum are looking to the inauguration of their 45th president with wildly different expectations — ranging from excitement and elation to despondency and dread. Here are some of their thoughts:

Super excited

Deni Dillon, 60, a small business owner from the Detroit suburbs, spoke while driving to Washington to attend the 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.

At rock bottom

Holly Morganelli, a 36-year-old from Miami, Florida, describes herself as “disheartened, disappointed, anxiety-ridden and despondent” over the Trump 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.”

‘Middle of the road’ -

Rebecca Brannon, 25, from Minnesota, volunteered for Trump’s campaign: “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.”

Build that wall

Jim Chilton, 77, a rancher and self-described “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.”

Apprehensive

Noelle Cullimore, 54, a mother of two from Bay Shore, voted for Trump’s Democratic rival Hillary Clinton: “He sounds even less intelligent to me than before. Frankly, I am more worried now that he is about to take office. I don’t know what to expect.”

Just set us free

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.”

And keep us safe

Marina Woolcock, 72, lives in The Villages, a retirement community in northern Florida: “We are looking forward to the first 100 days. We have great hope that this administration will keep the country together. We are in great hope.”

Terror close to home

Denise Galvez, 41, is a Cuban-American from Miami:“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 and we should support him.”

Bring back jobs

James Finch, 78, retired supervisor of Conklin, New York that has lost jobs and industry, wants the Trump administration 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.”

Kind of scared

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.”

Planning resistance

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.”

A farce and a tragedy

Brett Spiegel, 43, lives in Miami: “I am genuinely afraid. Being wildly unqualified and ethically dubious would be bad enough, but even worse is that he is openly hostile to science and facts.

“On top of all that, he chooses to be hateful and small at every turn. He is the biggest threat American constitutional democracy has faced in my lifetime. To go from Obama to Trump is a farce and a tragedy.”

Just the way it is

Dennis Frasene, 38, lives in Westchester, New York, and voted for Trump’s rival Hillary Clinton: “I am hopeful optimism. Maybe this guy can pull something out of his sleeve that nobody saw coming.

But I’m of the mindset that either way, we need to support our president whether or not we agree he got elected or not. It’s just the way it is. I don’t think this guy wanted to become president so he can screw up.” —AFP

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