New York offers chilly reception for Trump's talk of 'glorious destiny'

While there is not a huge amount of support for Trump in New York City, people are united in the total dissatisfaction with Joe Biden, writes Sean Murray

President-elect Donald Trump arrives at the 60th presidential inauguration in the Rotunda of the US Capitol in Washington on Monday. Picture: Kenny Holston/The New York Times via AP

It’s -8C at 8am in Times Square as the city that apparently never sleeps wakes up to a brave new world.

Staring down smiling from one of the gigantic screens is Donald J Trump, with a Fox News advert telling us “America is watching” as he’s set to be sworn in as president again at midday.

Every other screen you pass away from that thoroughfare, you’re likely to find Trump glaring at you as the partisan news networks all breathlessly detail how the day will go and what his first actions will be.

As people pass, few of them are paying attention. New York itself is a lot quieter than it would usually be on a typical Monday morning. A blizzard the night before means that many didn’t brave the cold, with a taxi driver pinning the lighter-than-usual traffic on the snow and ice on the streets.

The night before, in an Irish pub in Midtown, talk amongst the patrons switched regularly between the American football on TV, the blizzard outside, and the 47th president of the United States.

There’s not a tremendous amount of support for Trump — Kamala Harris carried New York state after all — but there’s not none either.

On the other hand, patrons are united in a total sense of dissatisfaction with Joe Biden. For fans of Trump, the belief he’ll be strong on the economy still shines through after a Biden administration that was plagued with high inflation.

One American, with Irish roots, remarks that he’s going to have to field more worried phone calls from his mother, who would constantly ring him the last time Trump was in charge, asking what impact whatever new outrageous thing he had said that day would have.

While thousands had taken to the streets at the weekend to protest Donald Trump in Washington DC, smaller crowds had earlier gathered in New York bearing placards such as “Make America Sane Again” and “trans rights forever”.

Unlike when Trump beat Hillary Clinton in 2016, this time he carried the popular vote along with the electoral college. More people voted for Donald Trump than Kamala Harris.

Those opposed to Trump this time are in the minority, and his Republicans own the senate and the house of representatives

As he has been all along, he was clear in what his priorities would be now he is in charge again with a slew of executive orders on immigration set to be signed.

“With these actions, we will begin the complete restoration of America and the revolution of common sense,” he said.

“All illegal entry will immediately be halted, and we will begin the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places from which they came.” 

Thousands took the streets in major US cities over the weekend to protest Donald Trump.  In San Francisco, crowds march down Market St during a anti-Trump rally on Sunday. Picture: Scott Strazzante/San Francisco Chronicle via AP

News reports had suggested that a Trumpian immigration crackdown could start in Chicago as early as Tuesday.

Limerick city man James O’Malley, an immigration lawyer in New York for 40 years, said we have to take what he says “at face value”.

“From a practical point of view, it’s a huge challenge logistically just to go out into communities and start rounding people up. It’s a bit frightening actually.

“It smacks of a zero tolerance ideology. And it doesn’t matter if you were born in County Mayo or in El Salvador, in pure terms.” 

In bars, cafes and hotels, the TVs at midday were all on the one event.

The pageantry and slight surreality of it was capturing some attention at last, even if what was being announced could impact millions

Taking a seat in a cafe Hell’s Kitchen as he starts his speech, there’s only the occasional scoff as people look up from their phones to drink in the talk of their nation’s “glorious destiny” and how its “golden age” begins now. In such a multi-cultural city, the talk of “illegal aliens” gets a mixed reception at best.

Donald Trump is not one for muted statements or downplaying, and it was no different as he referenced the assassination attempt on the campaign.

“The journey to reclaim our republic has not been an easy one, that I can tell you,” he said.

"Those who wish to stop our cause have tried to take my freedom and indeed to take my life. Just a few months ago, in a beautiful Pennsylvania field, an assassin’s bullet ripped through my ear.  But I felt then and believe even more so now, that my life was saved for a reason. I was saved by God to make America great again.” 

Earlier, in between the adverts for the Fox coverage of the Trump inauguration in Times Square was another ad for the new Marvel film,  Captain America: Brave New World.

In the film, a main antagonist appears to be a giant red monster who also happens to be president of the United States.

Even against a man who’d never be accused of possessing subtlety, this felt a bit too on the nose in New York City as Trump takes his seat in the oval office for another four years. Brave new world, indeed.