Conservative political experts pointed to President-elect Trump's decisive victory on Tuesday as a key reason why anti-Trump protests have been quieter than in 2016.
Some protests have taken place across the U.S. since Tuesday, but the focus has not been solely on Trump, with voter turnout at a rate higher than in 2016 after Trump's victory over Hillary Clinton. It's not the same as when thousands of people took to the streets.
In Seattle, for example, demonstrators held protests on election night, but the focus was on the war in Gaza, and both Democrats and Republicans were condemned by demonstrators. Wednesday night's protests in Chicago similarly focused on that war and were loosely linked to Trump's victory.
The day after Donald Trump's victory, anti-Israel demonstrators in Chicago took to the streets to protest the government's approach to the Israel-Gaza war. (WFLD)
Meanwhile, people across the country have noted that protests have become quieter compared to 2016.
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“It's been strangely quiet,” says Daily Wire reporter Kathy Akiva. Marked on Wednesday's X, The day after the election. “I don't believe there are any large-scale protests planned at this time.”
“I have to say it was very quiet at Williams College today. There certainly wasn't any demonstrations or mass mourning or whining or crying that I saw,” he said. Darrell Paul Professor of Political Science.
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“No one will say that this time.” [Trump] “He's an illegitimate president,” said political strategist David Kochel. “He certainly has a more legitimate interest in the presidency because he ultimately wins the popular vote. And if a candidate doesn't win the popular vote but wins the Electoral College, I think there's going to be some tension in this country, but we don't have that tension this time.”
Others, including Mike Gonzalez, a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation and co-author of The Next Generation of Marxism: What It Is and How to Fight It, say Trump's decisive victory will influence the reaction of the protests. I agreed with Mr. Kocher's point that the result was more restrained.
“We have yet to see the same level of hysteria that we saw during Trump's first victory,” Gonzalez said. “Mr. Trump's first victory was an even bigger surprise to the political establishment and the establishment, because no one expected him to win. This time, he has won before.”
“It's hard to create discord when the victory was so important,” added Jenny Beth Martin, president of the Tea Party Patriots Citizens' Fund.
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But Gonzalez and others note that while the protest response to Trump's victory may be milder than what was seen in 2016, that could change if Trump begins implementing policy changes. did.
Thousands of people take to the streets to protest against President-elect Trump in Los Angeles on November 12, 2016. Hundreds of people were arrested during the protests. (Getty Images)
“I think it's important to use the word 'yet' because I think we're going to see the same level of uncontrollable hysterical backlash against Trump,” Gonzalez said.
Aaron Boxer is a former special education teacher and founder of Connecticut-based Diversified Education Services. He described himself as a moderate conservative and said he agreed with Gonzalez's view that protests could intensify in the future.
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“When Adam Kinzinger, Letitia James, Gavin Newsom, even Kamala spoke the other day, when they said they were going to fight, there's been some pretty inflammatory rhetoric coming out. Hear what they're saying. It really sounds like they've almost given up.'' The public gave a little wink and a nod and encouraged them to speak up,'' Boxer said.
“It looks like they're trying to rally the troops…and I think it's going to take some time for these things to take shape.”
