Wave of anger at Trump victory
President-elect already raising eyebrows with transition plans
DONALD Trump shook up his White House transition team on Friday, putting running mate Mike Pence in charge and naming a cohort of Washington insiders — and three of his children — to help nail down picks for his future cabinet.
The reshuffle came as antiTrump protesters spilt onto the streets for a third consecutive night, promising to continue throughout the weekend. The president-elect is facing mounting calls to reassure Americans who fear a xenophobic crackdown under his administration.
At least 1 200 people — among them families with children — rallied on Friday night in New York’s Washington Square, carrying banners reading “Peace and Love” and “Your wall can’t stand in our way”.
More than 1 000 people gathered in Miami, with weekend protests planned in at least half a dozen cities.
A focal point for New York protests is Trump Tower, where the real estate tycoon has been ensconced in his luxury apart- ment, mapping out his next steps.
The 70-year-old incoming Republican president has the mammoth task of fleshing out his cabinet, as well as steering the complex transition of power, and announced in an interview with the Wall Street Journal that he was elevating vice-president-elect Pence to lead the process.
Trump included three of his children and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, in the transition team — a move likely to raise eyebrows, since he earlier announced that should he win he would place his vast business interests in a blind trust operated by Donald Trump jnr, Eric Trump and Ivanka Trump.
And in a clear shift from his abrasive campaign, he added to his transition team a string of insider figures from the very establishment that he railed against, including Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus — now tipped as a possible chief of staff.
“Drain the swamp” became a popular Trump refrain in the closing weeks of the race as he vowed to end the ways of the US capital.
Trump took his first steps towards engaging with Washington on Thursday when he met with President Barack Obama at the White House to discuss the transition ahead of the January 20 inauguration — a conversation BOTH SIDES: It was not all one-way traffic at anti-Trump demonstrations in the US as this supporter shouted back at opposing protesters in Manhattan, New York. Protesters spilt onto the streets for a third consecutive night and promised to continue throughout the weekend the outgoing president called “excellent”. The White House hopes that by rolling out the red carpet for Trump, they can bind him to some of the conventions of the office.
The meeting also appears to have nudged Trump towards a compromise on his oft-repeated threat to repeal Obama’s signature healthcare law.
Trump told the Wall Street Journal that the president asked him to consider preserving parts of the law — and said he was open to the idea.
“Either Obamacare will be amended, or repealed and replaced,” Trump told the newspaper.
“I told him I will look at his suggestions, and out of respect, I will do that.”
On the Syrian conflict, however, Trump indicated a sharp shift away from Obama administration policy.
“I’ve had an opposite view of many people regarding Syria,” he said, suggesting a closer focus on fighting Islamic State — and arguing that in seeking to oust President Bashar al-Assad, “we end up fighting Russia”, the regime’s ally.
White House officials said Obama and Trump discussed global hot spots during their talks, as well as the president’s meetings next week with leaders from Germany, Greece and across the Asia-Pacific region.
On that trip, Obama is likely to be inundated with panicked questions about the US’s role in world affairs.
Commenting on the unrest that has greeted his election, Trump tweeted that the media unfairly “incited” the protesters but changed tack a few hours later, writing: “Love the fact that the small groups of protesters last night have passion for our great country. We will all come together and be proud!”
Meanwhile, in an interview to be aired today, Trump showed a rare softer side, describing the election night call he received from Hillary 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.
“I mean, for me, it would have been very, very difficult. She couldn’t have been nicer. She just said: ‘Congratulations, Donald, well done.’ ” And I said: ‘I want to thank you very much, you were a great competitor.’ ” His vanquished political foe was, he said, “very strong and very smart”. — AFP
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Obama is likely to be inundated with panicked questions about the US’s role in world affairs Love the fact that the small groups of protesters have passion for our great country
NOT OVER YET: The scene in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania