Dozens gathered at Lime Street to oppose the new US president
A small group of protesters gathered at Lime Street tonight to oppose Donald Trump’s presidential win. Republican nominee Mr Trump defeated Democratic candidate Kamala Harris after winning key swing states.
Mr Trump, who was president from 2017 to 2021, becomes the first person convicted of a felony to be elected to the US presidency having been convicted of 34 felony counts in a hush-money case little more than five months ago. He is also becomes only the second president in US history to serve in the Oval Office in non-consecutive terms – following Grover Cleveland who returned to the Oval Office in 1893.
Molly, who is American but lives in the city centre, said: “I think it’s really important to stand up to people who are so willing to accept to stand by such racism, misogyny and bigotry. It’s so important to stand up against that and show people you’re against that, because we can’t allow that to happen.
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“So many people have fought for people to gain rights and for us to move forward in the world and there’s so many people who want to drag us back down. I can’t stand still on that.
“It was such a shock this morning. I had so much hope for the movement that Kamala was bringing, because there was so much energy and joy behind it. It’s really heartbreaking to see how many people in my country fall into the lies of Donald Trump.
“I’m really concerned. I’ve had friends who have committed suicide because they are a part of the LGBTQ community. They haven’t been accepted by their families and they were living in places that tells them who they are as a person is wrong. Now Trump is emboldening people to traumatise a full generation. I think a lot of us take our rights for granted and we can’t.”
Grayson Kempster, 28, from Liverpool said: “I come from a marginalised group of people, so given what a lot of Trump’s policies are in terms of anti-LGBT laws and overturning the right for abortion, they’re things I think people should have freedom and access to in terms of basic human rights.
“As a man, Trump shouldn’t be able to enforce abortion and have a say over women’s bodies. There’s unity in numbers, so coming out here to stand up against him is so important.”
Protestor Paolo Brand spoke about the consequences Trump’s win could have on the UK. He said: “Our grave concern is after what’s happened today in America. Bit by bit, we could end up with a creeping problem like that here, and ultimately end up with that type of leader being elected to lead our country.
“We think it’s important to make our voices heard at an early stage, and warn people of the dangers. I’m concerned about the ways he uses people’s fears and worries. Especially the Cost of Living, because that was a key cause of his election. He’s tapped into those fears and used various minorities, especially immigrants, and hit them with a tsunami of lies and misinformation.”
“I have to be fair and reasonable, he’s always been big on things like reduction of costs for prescription drugs, that’s one positive. There are some positives, but they’re completely outweighed by the negatives.”
Donald Trump will now become the 47th president of the United States. The victory marks a comeback for a former president who refused to accept defeat four years ago, sparked a violent insurrection at the US Capitol, was convicted of felony charges and survived two assassination attempts.
Speaking to his supporters on Wednesday morning, Mr Trump claimed he had won “an unprecedented and powerful mandate”. Ms Harris called Mr Trump on Wednesday to congratulate him on his victory, a senior aide said, adding that Ms Harris discussed the importance of a peaceful transfer of power ahead of a planned concession speech.
