Separated by fences (and the social distance of a corridor), the two sides of the United States expressed themselves face to face yesterday. This is the show of a circus with two tracks.
The scene is a park in Lower Manhattan, the Collect Pond, located in front of the courthouse where, on a historic date, Donald Trump became the first former president of the United States to be arrested and charged for alleged crimes stemming from the payment of money to close the mouth of porn actress Stormy Daniels.
There is an invasion of journalists. Trump’s invitation to protest is not massively successful. But there are several hundred people on both sides, and even more on the sidewalks, as far as the very wide safety belt allows.
There is a lot of militant costume, caps and shirts decorated with badges and slogans. There’s even a Trump player juggling a couple of basketballs.
Everything happens under the watchful eye of uniformed and plainclothes policemen. Concord is maintained, but a certain tension is perceived in the verbal confrontations. The 36,000 NYPD officers have been mobilized. The court building is armored.
On one of the stages of this circus they shout “U-S-A”, on the other “Black Lives Matter”. On one side there are signs of “Trump or death” and on the other “arrest Trump”. There is an exchange of reproaches, little else.
Waiting for Trump, and with the permission of the Republican legislator George Santos, whom even his own people do not respect, for having invented his character, the culminating point is the irruption of congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. They present her as “the heroine of the Maga movement”, (Let’s make America great again). Despite the fact that he acts on the conservatives’ track, a few secondaries from the other tent sneak into his function. “Go to Georgia, you’re a danger”, shout some. “January 6 was an insurrection”, repeat others in relation to the assault on the Capitol, which Greene has compared to a tourist visit.
It’s hard to hear her. “This is the price of democracy,” says Greene of the imputation of the adored leader. “Keep calm, don’t fall into violence, we are the party of peace”, phrases he utters and encourages the rampage of criticism for the events in Washington a couple of years ago. “Today is a great day, let’s be happy!” exclaims Gregory William, a resident of the Bronx, in the anti-Trump space. “Those in front will not intimidate me, if they want to support a criminal, they are within their rights,” comments this African American who is carrying his “girl”, a life-size cardboard Hillary Clinton.
“For eight years they were shouting ‘shut her down’ and today, ironically, the one they are shutting down is Trump. Maybe this will only happen for one day, let’s enjoy it”, he finishes. The slogan “close it” triumphs on this side.
Nadine Sealer jumps for joy and considers it normal that “white supremacists” have turned the Manhattan prosecutor, also African-American Alvin Bragg, into their enemy (they accuse him of attacking the “innocent” Trump and letting criminals go) . Sealerremarks that it is shocking that the Republicans, the party of law and order, who want to charge anyone for anything, are now messing with those who obey the law.
“Covid was a lie. Yes, there were some contagions, but it was a sabotage so that Trump lost the elections and this time he is accused so that he will not participate in the 2024 elections, but we will fight for him”, proclaims Dona Ingrassia .
She, like those on this side, believes that it is true that the election was stolen from Trump, the real president and not the current “false one”. The chorus maintains that the assault on the Capitol either did not exist or, if there was violence, it was that of FBI infiltrators, “Biden’s Gestapo.” “I was there with my three children and we didn’t see anything that came out on TV”, points out Tina Witcher.
“It’s a special day”, postulates Dean Cini, with a bad mood: “It’s Trump or death, and not necessarily mine”.
Noise of helicopters, the entourage arrives with the detainee. The show continues.
