Thousands of Americans spilled into the streets Saturday for a new day of protests against Donald Trump, even as the president-elect appeared to back away from the fiery rhetoric that propelled him to the White House.
The Republican billionaire — huddled with his transition team at his Manhattan residence — has sought to strike a conciliatory tone since his election sent a shockwave around the world, announcing Friday he no longer intended to scrap Barack Obama’s signature healthcare law, Obamacare.
“This will prove to be a great time in the lives of all Americans. We will unite and we will win, win, win!” he tweeted Saturday, as up to 15,000 people prepared to march on Trump Tower under the rallying cry of “Trump is NOT my president”.
In downtown Chicago, several thousand marched peacefully to chants of “No hate. No fear. Immigrants are welcome here.”
Four days after his shock election, the world is scrutinising the maverick’s every move for clues to how he will govern.
President-elect Trump’s U-turn on Obamacare — which the candidate Trump had branded a “disaster” — was prompted by his White House meeting with the outgoing president a day earlier.
In his first post-election interview, Trump told The Wall Street Journal he may maintain a ban on insurance companies denying coverage because of so-called pre-existing conditions. He also said he may continue to ensure that children can remain on their parents’ policies until the age of 26, a key Obamacare tenet.
“I like those very much,” the 70-year-old real estate mogul and political novice said of both points.
It marked one of several moves by Trump and his advisers away from his more sweeping campaign positions.
Asked by the Wall Street Journal whether he would, as threatened, name a special prosecutor to investigate his opponent Hillary Clinton over her use of a private email server as secretary of state, Trump deflected.
“It’s not something I’ve given a lot of thought, because I want to solve health care, jobs, border control, tax reform,” he said — a far cry from his stump rhetoric leading crowds in chants of “Lock her up!”
Top Trump surrogate Newt Gingrich also cast doubt on whether Trump would make Mexico fund his proposed border wall — another rallying cry for his supporters.
“He’ll spend a lot of time controlling the border. He may not spend very much time trying to get Mexico to pay for it, but it was a great campaign device,” Gingrich was reported as saying by The Washington Post.
Despite his more measured tone, the Republican has yet to respond to mounting calls to reassure the US public who fear a xenophobic crackdown under his authority.
The South Poverty Law Center, which monitors hate groups, tracked more than 200 incidents of election-related harassment and intimidation in the three days following the election.
More than 47,000 people have signed an SPLC petition urging Trump to clearly distance himself from “haters” — from white nationalists to anti-Muslim and anti-gay extremists — who are celebrating his victory.
Thousands of anti-Trump protesters held a third straight night of largely peaceful marches on Thursday, although violence marred a rally in Portland, Oregon, where a demonstrator was shot and sustained non-life-threatening injuries after what police believe was a confrontation.
Asked by The Wall Street Journal whether he thought his rhetoric had gone too far, Trump responded: “No. I won.”
But he added that he would now take a more positive approach, saying, “It’s different now.”
“I want a country that loves each other,” he said, arguing that the way to ease tension would be to “bring in jobs.”
In a CBS interview to be aired on Sunday, Trump spoke warmly of the election night call he received from Clinton conceding that he had won.
“It was a lovely call, and it was a tough call for her — I mean, I can imagine,” he said according to interview excerpts, praising his vanquished foe as “very strong and very smart.”
He also spoke about a call he received from her husband, former president Bill Clinton, who he said “couldn’t have been more gracious.”
The president-elect said he wouldn’t rule out approaching the former US leader for advice.
Trump said as much of Obama after their apparently harmonious meeting, saying he was open to seeking his “counsel”.
the ku-klux-klan is planning a march in his honour in north carolina on december3, and I’m sure there are a lot more planned in his honour in those deep southern and midwest states where racist vampires emerges from out of the deep bushes, most of them are not even on hospital birth records, to vote for him! theese are groups that chump NEVER publicly denounce or disavowed.
Rammy di chumpets a go get whey dem did waa man ……chumpup call out the rednecks and if him renounced dem u know dem will disqualify him cause im sure he is one of them
Oh man Trump is more scared and shock than the rest of America. Washington Post contributer said he sees either an impeachment or resignation in Trumps presidency. All me wah know is how Trump feel he can live comfortably in the White House instead of his 24k gold home? For the first time in ages he is being muzzled and controlled….he didnt think about the enormity of these changes much less the responsiblity……..dem say Trump nuh file income taxes in 15 years…..how the heck that possible……smaddy soon stawt dig….how he feel his children can control his personal financies and act as paid advisors is beyond me…..scandal and empire nuh as dramatic as whats gonna come.
Di muzzling start cause him did haffi run go delete one tweet whey him right and rightly so..Him like 3/4 of america dont know how dem own country run. The deplorables stat whine already, they really really believed this man :ngakak
I hope dem nuh badda hide inna sheet and mask but come out in the police uniforms they wear to work everyday and dem judicial attire and dem corporate business suits. Fi dem hatred reach heights unbeknowest to regula ppl. America slowly reverting back to an era of darkness.
It neva come out Marie all di tell black people did a tell dem seh dem oppressed dem neva a pay dat no mind. But I heard someone say it the other day…black people will have no choice but to fight back this time
Dem hate obama and nuh back him pan nothing till obama haffi legalize gay marriage fi get support..memba obama was big christian when him jus win . Those rednecks mek sure nothing nuh pass fi di latinos so dem vote wudda rocky dis time
This protestor said the electorial system need fi change because a voter in another state…their vote counts as 4 votes while her vote counts as one….The voting system confusing mi naw lie….much simplier over here….Clinton finally said a Comey cause ar fi lose…mi just a wait fi all things revealed right ya now.
It nah done it dus a start and all we a go do a watch di very nice ride. The fact that people are protesting a give Clinton strength so mi hope dem keep it up. The march a trump tower in new york had about 16k people today with all chinese press lol ..America is looking so bad right now :nohope
Met, ram and Marie hitting all the points, all me have fi do id read.
Trump said “Black people have been voting for the Democrats for years and nothing much have changed for them, they are still being oppressed by these Democrats and Republicans which they vote for… Voting for Trump for a change what have you got to lose..
He said some negatives about Mexicans, then saying “YOU ALSO HAVE A LOT OF GOOD MEXICANS”…
The establishment is shocked and spouting as much rubbish as they can about Trump, which really is all trivial…
Through main media are creating a war path in America cause they are SORE LOSERS… Trump won by a democratic vote from all backgrounds of people, black Latino white etc… They saw Trump a better candidate than crooked Hillary it’s as simple as that… The Democrats needed a better candidate… We look forward for Trump to unite Americans with Omarosa(Black Lady) and Trey Gowdy amongst others on his team….
it leaked that he said he might have to build a taller/wider FENCE for now instead of a wall because even newt gingrich himself said mexico will NEVER pay for a wall(given that all those so called southern border states where you would build the wall are mexican land anyways) and the democrats in congress won’t vote in the senate or the house to pass the tab on to the american people, and they sure can’t pass the tab to the so called illegals because they are working under the table, and have you heard that the native american tribes and their leaders are kicking up a storm saying it gonna be war if that administration thinks that they’re going to build any wall through their land? …… yes its exactly so! …….. but her is the other joke!…… the chump transitional regime hinted that it will have to be a taller/wider fence for now because the steel that is needed to reinforce the concrete would have to be imported from CHINA because the steel industry in OHIO & PENNSYLVANIA have gone bust :ngakak its the same links through which chump imported the steel to build his towers and structure :tkp brace yourself for the sitcom.
Mi seh rammy all we a go do is sitback and laugh cause when dem done dem a go shame
Give it a rest. Hillary lost, nobody wanted her in office! :ngakak :ngakak
:thumbup ya man skin teet as much as yuh like…too bad yuh neva lef a name for me to remember you by when the next shock lick we…add something of value to the conversation or dont comment at all. Happy Sunday btw!
she actually won! ….. if you counted the popular votes! :2thumbup
Yes Ramjam..the more I understand how votes are counted in the US…she did win…sometimes you read some comments and chop it up to plain and simple daftness. The people on the island of Quam voted 24 hours ahead of the rest of Americans and Hilary won there BUT those 30g+ votes were not counted.
Good morning Met…please come yere a minute mi hear that on this 60 minute interview airing tonight Trump say he wants Bill and Obama as his advisors….mi ask if it was sarcasm…the person said he was dead serious……mi naw stop say it…Assassination…impeachment…or resignation..
Marie u nuh hear mi seh we dus a go sit back and laugh because dem people yah whey vote him in a go ketch a set a heart attack dem might clog di medical system. They thought Trump was being real ___________________________________
Hillary won (because she wonthe popular votes )tell you that . But we all will sit and relax and watch these delusional trumpets dem yah moan an groan an follow dem leader right back through the white house door, because Chump will not finished his 4 year term watch & si.#he’snotmypresident
(DAT MI SEH) MOVE U BOMBO CLAAT FROM YA CAUSE U NOT JAMAICAN FRIENDLY U BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN DISTRESS U SELFISH ALL FI USELF MAY BE U NOT EVEN HAVE A VOTE PEOPLE A HURT AND U JUST A RUB SALT EENA PEOPLE WOUND,CAUSE U MIGHT BE A CITIZEN, F**N ORIOLE BISCUIT COCONUT JANKRO DEM NO WORK PON SUNDAY SO WA U A DO YAH, U TAR BABY SO WEN DEM A LIK OUT BLACK RASS HOPE U GET A FINE RASSING
DAT MI SEH) TEK U BOMBOCLAAT FROM YA JANKRO NO WORK PON SUNDAYS SO DONT KNO WHY U EVEN HEREM F**N ORIOLE BISCUIT, COCONUT U ARE NOT FRIENDLT TO YOUR AILING BROTHERS AND SISTERS U NO STOP RUB SALT EENA WE WOUND CAUSE U MIGHT BE CITIZEN, U LAP TAIL WITH PEOPLE WHO DONT EVEN KNOW U, YOU WILL BE CLASSIFIED AS A HILARIST BEFORE U CAN OPEN YOU STINKIN MOUTH SO U A GO GET BLOOD CLAAT LIKS JUS AS THE REST OF US, OUR KIDS IN SCHOOL ARE GOIN TO GET IN TROUBLE WITH PEOPLE CALLING THEM NAMES, TRUMP FROM LONG TIME HAD A DEMOCRAT FRAME HIM RUN PON DEM AND F**K DEM UP U EENA IT TO, GWAN GO F**K HIM GAL FOR HIM NAW MANAGE U FINGER MIGHT BE TALLER, CARRY A WHITE HAT TO COMPLETE THE NURSE UNIFORM U 5 BELLY RAT