Trump plots next steps as protests go into a 4th day
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AMERICAN President-elect Donald Trump huddled with advisers at his Manhattan residence yesterday, plotting next moves after thousands of protesters besieged Trump Tower and marched in other cities across the United States for a fourth day.
The demonstrations have become daily affairs following the Republican’s upset defeat of rival Hillary Clinton, who blamed FBI director James Comey for her loss during a conference call to campaign donors. Comey, who late last month reopened a probe into her emails, had “stopped our momentum,” she told supporters.
The move, the Democrat said, cleared the way for a victory for Trump, who appears to be making some headway in forming a new administration.
Campaign manager Kellyanne Conway told reporters Trump’s appointment of a White House chief of staff was “imminent” and that Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus was among the candidates for the key post.
Trump has sought to strike a conciliatory tone since his election sent a shock wave around the world, announcing on Friday he no longer intended to completely scrap Barack Obama’s signature healthcare law, known as Obamacare.
Several hundred arrests
The news came as a crowd of more than 10,000 people marched toward Trump Tower in Manhattan amid cries of “Trump is not my president.”
In Los Angeles, 10,000 people turned out for a march in the city’s downtown after a night of protests that ended in several hundred arrests.
Trump Tower has been a hive of activity as the real estate mogul huddles with his transition team to shape his cabinet — appointments expected to play a crucial role in setting the tone of an administration led by a 70-year-old political novice.
An ABC News/Washington Post poll yesterday showed that 74 percent of Americans accept Trump’s election as legitimate, although that number varies greatly among different groups, reaching 99 percent among Trump’s supporters and falling to 58 percent among Clinton’s.
According to US media reports, Trump’s lawyers are seeking to postpone a fraud trial over the defunct Trump University slated toward the end of this month, stating that preparations for the case would divert the president-elect from his duties.
Trump faces a colossal task in hammering out his cabinet and filling hundreds of other top government jobs ahead of his January 20 inauguration.?
“He’s receiving many visitors,” Conway said. “These are exciting times.”
Visit from Brexit backer
Among those seen entering Trump Tower on Saturday were Nigel Farage, whose UK Independence Party backed the Brexit vote that stunned Britons just as Trump’s victory did many Americans.
Conway said Farage and Trump had discussed “freedom and winning.”
The documentary filmmaker Michael Moore also made an appearance inside the building — before his impromptu effort to meet with Trump was blocked by Secret Service agents.
Since his election on the back of a populist and anti-immigrant campaign, Trump and his advisers have appeared to back away from some of his more sweeping positions.
Trump’s U-turn on Obamacare — he now says he may simply amend a law he branded a “disaster” on the stump — was prompted by his White House meeting with the outgoing president last week. Trump told CBS and The Wall Street Journal he may maintain some of the program’s more popular elements, such as a ban on insurance companies denying coverage because of so-called pre-existing health conditions.
Asked by the paper whether he would, as threatened, name a special prosecutor to investigate Clinton over her use of a private e-mail server as secretary of state, Trump deflected, saying his priorities were “health care, jobs, border control, tax reform.” Not long ago Trump was leading crowds in chants of “Lock her up.”
Trump supporter Newt Gingrich also cast doubt on whether Trump would make Mexico fund his proposed border wall — another rallying cry.
The president-elect also spoke warmly of the election night call he received from Hillary Clinton conceding his victory, praising her as “very strong and very smart.”
Despite his more measured tone, the Republican has yet to respond to mounting calls to reassure Americans who fear a xenophobic crackdown.
Tens of thousands of people said on Facebook they will attend a “Women’s March on Washington” scheduled for January 21, the day after Trump’s inauguration.
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