Trump squanders chance to unite a divided nation
IT was a sorry sight – a lone protester with a single placard cornered by Donald Trump supporters outside the Lincoln Memorial in the heart of America’s capital city.
Some claimed – perhaps fairly given the presence of children – that he should have avoided profanity when choosing a slogan. One side of his sign read “No Muslim Registry”; the other we can’t print.
But many were chomping at the bit to have a go simply because Kieran McLean, a waiter from Pennsylvania, didn’t share their views.
He wasn’t one of the “like-minded”, a phrase I hear repeatedly.
As the rousing US national anthem goes, America is the self-professed “home of the brave”.
Well, the 21-year-old’s decision to demonstrate over the inauguration weekend, amid the new president’s biggest fan club, certainly took courage.
It’s also purportedly the “land of the free”, although apparently – for I hope a minority of citizens – freedom of expression isn’t included.
Things quickly got ugly and the poster was knocked from Kieran’s hands with a walking stick.
“We won,” the group shouted, like children in a playground. “We won.”
Among them was a mildmannered, middle-aged Trumper, who earlier had put his hands on my shoulder and prayed for me.
A little too much for a reserved(ish) Brit, it was well intentioned and genuine.
I’ve also no doubt he believes it when he says he hopes the country can come together in the new era.
But – caught up in the moment and spurred on by his peers – even he joined in the fray.
After a scramble, Kieran fleetingly reclaimed his sign only for it to be snatched away again and hurled into the Reflecting Pool.
There it floated for the rest of the afternoon, a depressing illustration of the deep divisions within American society.
Two-and-a-half months on from the election, it seems scant progress has been made.
In his victory speech, Mr Trump pledged to be a president for all Americans, urging them to “come together as one united people”.
And parts of the inaugural address did indeed hint at a seemingly more conciliatory tone.
“We, the citizens of America, are now joined in a great national effort to rebuild our country and restore its promise for all of our people,” he declared.
“This moment belongs to everyone gathered here and everyone watching all across America.
“The oath of office I take is an oath of allegiance to all Americans.” But the main body of his remarks – which again focused on the wrongs of the so-called “rotten” Washington establishment – sounded much like his campaigntrail spiel.
A chance to draw a line under the damaging campaign, an opportunity to start the healing process, was squandered. Of course, for many of his supporters – who take their cue from him – it was the ultimate rally and predictably, magnanimous victors were in short supply.
“Would it be bad to boo the outgoing president?” one man behind me asked his wife. “What about Hillary?
“No wonder Michelle Obama isn’t smiling. She’s going to be in a photo with Melania Trump – that’s not going to turn out well for her.” And so on. Many expected the former reality star turned commander-in-chief to settle into a more conventional guise once he secured his prize.
It was only a tactic, an act, people said – one he needed to pull off to win.
They may be proved right and it’s probably too early to judge, but Friday’s performance would suggest otherwise.
This will surely be a presidency conducted on Trump the businessman’s terms. How could anyone tell the showman how to run the show?
But if the 45th president is truly serious about governing for all America, he will have to find a way – at the very least – to develop a thicker skin and work with his critics.
He’s currently straddling a gorge which could widen or narrow. The former would not end well for anyone.