Trump Uber Alles: Donald Trump greets his minions at the Republican National Convention in July.
BY COLIN MIXSON
Downtown residents emerged from their homes in a state of shock Wednesday morning, and went about their daily routines as though in denial of the almost inconceivable truth that their worst nightmares had become reality — the nation had elected Donald Trump as president.
“Most people are very depressed, and angry, and confused,” said Community Board 1 president Anthony Notaro.
New Yorkers living south of Canal St. — who voted overwhelmingly for Hillary Clinton on Tuesday — were united by a near-ubiquitous sense of loss the next morning, their grief at Trump’s victory rivaling the death of a loved one, or the demise of a national treasure, according to one Battery Park City resident.
“It’s been 12 hours and I’m still trying to figure out how to react,” said Jeff Mihok. “I go between anger, sorrow, and disbelief. People are very sad. My colleagues are just devastated. People are crying and giving each other hugs. It feels like we’re mourning a death.”
Even with nearly two months before Trump takes office, locals are considering the immediate ramifications of what the divisive Republican nominee’s elevation to Commander-and-Chief means, not just for America, but for those looking to set examples for the nation’s youth, according to one South Bridge resident.
“The only thing I can tell you is I’m grateful I’m not the teacher in front of an elementary school class having to explain that name calling and bullying is something that doesn’t get you anywhere,” said Paul Hovitz.
With more than 90,000 ballots cast across Tribeca, Battery Park City, Fidi, the Seaport, and Two Bridges, Downtowners voted overwhelmingly in favor of Clinton, who garnered more than 77,000 votes, compared to about 10,000 for Trump, and just under 3,000 going to third-party candidates Gary Johnson and Jill Stein.
Following his victory, President-elect Trump called Sen. Charles Schumer, who said he congratulated Trump on his hard-won victory.
Sen. Kristen Gillibrand, who succeeded Clinton in the Senate, said she was “deeply heartbroken” to see her mentor defeated in the election, but expressed willingness to work with Trump.
Councilmember Margaret Chin acknowledged the fear being felt by many of her constituents following Trump’s victory, but said she would carry on championing the progressive causes that the president-elect attacked during his vitriolic campaign.
“I know that many of my constituents, in the Lower East Side, in Chinatown, and across my district in Lower Manhattan, are afraid about what comes next,” said Chin. “I share that fear, but I am determined to press on with our city’s progressive goals and to defend the gains made on behalf of all New Yorkers.”
Congressman Jerry Nadler described Trump’s campaign as “capitalizing on our nation’s worst impulses,” and declared his upcoming presidency as an “unprecedented threat to the progressive values that so many of us hold dear.”
Nevertheless, the Lower Manhattan congressman urged his constituents to accept the election results, while holding on to their liberal values.
“We must of course respect the outcome of the elections. But we must also refuse to surrender our values, refuse to give up fighting for what is right, refuse to abandon the project of making this country a more just and fair place for all Americans,” Nadler said.
