Residents Split on Trump Presidency

Two young men stood outside Moe’s Mexican restaurant on Merrick Road, each with a cigarette in their hand and a somber expression in their eyes.

“I’m scared, mostly,” said Paul Sylvester, 22, of Bellmore, as he and his friend spoke about how they felt when Republican celebrity businessman Donald J. Trump won the presidential election.

“It’s his views, his policies, they just don’t align with mine,” said Rob Murray, 22, of Bellmore.

“I was watching the whole time, just hoping, wishing…” Sylvester said as he and Murray both affirmed that they voted for Democrat Hillary Clinton. Before stepping inside the restaurant, Sylvester said that he hopes nothing Trump promised goes into effect.

“I think he needs to be given a chance,” said Dean Giorgi, of Bellmore, as he walked along Mill Pond with a friend, whom he gestured to “She’s upset.”

“I’m horrified,” said Noora Lachowicz, of Merrick. “We were trying to avoid talking about this in the car.”

“This is the most polarizing election I’ve seen,” said Giorgi. He expressed his disappointment with seeing multiple news reports of protests occurring all over the nation. According to Giorgi, this form of discord just divides the country further.

Other residents tried to tune out the clamor altogether. “I have not turned on the news or listened to the radio,” said Lishet Chiriboga, a Queens resident and volunteer dog-walker in Bellmore. Chiriboga was passing by Mill Pond when she stopped to call Trump a salesman who won’t do anything for the country. “I just can’t stomach it,” she said, of his win..

“I’m completely outraged,” said Kashika Johnson, 22, of East Meadow. Johnson was on her lunch break from the hospital where she works when she stopped to share her disdain. She almost chuckled and said, “Trump’s gonna send the country into chaos.” Johnson firmly believes that Hillary Clinton would have been a better president because of her experience in government, she said.

Despite the number of residents that showed their opposition to the Trump presidency, many showed their support. Driving through the Bellmore-Merrick area, one can see a fair amount of Trump signs and bumper stickers. However, many supporters declined comment the day after the election.

Mateo Arias, 26, of Merrick, sat inside a Starbucks as he gave his input on the reactions he has seen on social media and in the news. He argued that America should come together at a time like this, rather than pull further apart.

“It hasn’t been until now that we are splitting at the seams,” said Arias, referencing the increasing amount of tension he has seen since the results of the primaries. “Hopefully people realize we can’t live like that.”