Trump plans next moves as protests spread
NEW YORK: President-elect Donald Trump huddled with advisers inside his Manhattan residence on Saturday, planning his next moves as thousands besieged Trump Tower and marched through other US cities in a fourth day of protests.
Trump appeared to be making some headway in forming a new administration.
Campaign manager Kellyanne Conway said his appointment of a White House chief of staff was “imminent” and that Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus was among the candidates for the key post.
Trump has sought to strike a conciliatory tone since his election sent a shockwave around the world, announcing Friday he no longer intended to completely 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 yesterday.
Meanwhile, a swelling crowd of over 5,000 marched toward Trump Tower in Manhattan amid cries of “Trump is NOT my president”.
In Los Angeles, as many as 10,000 people turned out for a march in the city’s downtown after a night of protests that ended in several hundred arrests.
Thousands more marched peacefully in Chicago.
Trump Tower has been the epicentre of furious activity as the Trump team fleshes out his cabinet picks and works to fill other top government jobs.
“He’s receiving many visitors,” Conway said. “These are exciting times.” Among those seen entering the tower yesterday were Nigel Farage, whose UKIP backed Brexit that stunned Britons just as Trump’s victory did many Americans.
Conway said his meeting with Trump was “very productive”.
“They absolutely had an opportunity to talk about freedom and winning and what this all means for the world,” she said.
Also entering the building was the provocative documentary filmmaker Michael Moore – whose impromptu effort to meet with Trump was blocked by Secret Service agents.
Marion Marechal-Le Pen, a rising star in France’s far-right National Front, said yesterday she had contacted the Trump team about working with them.
Trump’s election has been warmly welcomed by Europe’s far-right movements. – AFP