From the looks of things, US likely to remain a politically divided nation

What happened in this past weekend in Washington, however, is a reminder that there are two United States, if not three or four.

I was surprised early Friday morning on the way to covering the inauguration of Donald Trump to be the 45th US president. The Metro Red Line was not only unusually crowded for a Friday morning, the cars were filled with people wearing red caps emblazoned with "Make America Great Again," Trump's campaign slogan.

That surprised me because Washington, the nation's capital, is so deeply blue. Trump supporters are hard to find among the local population. In the District of Columbia, about 90 percent of the votes in 2016 presidential election went to Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and only a tiny 4 percent went to Trump.

When Americans went out to vote on Nov 8, I had a hard time trying to find any Trump voters while interviewing people outside several local polling stations.

On Friday morning, I chatted with some Trump supporters coming out of Metro Center station. They were from Ohio, Illinois and even California and they came specially to go to the National Mall for Trump's inauguration. They were elated, judging from the expression on their faces.

The National Mall in front of the Capitol Hill was packed Friday morning with these jubilant Trump supporters. They cheered loudly when former US president George W. Bush, a Republican, and his wife Laura appeared on the screen.

Some shouted "Lock Her Up!" when former US president Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary were announced arriving on the inaugural platform. They booed Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, also a Democrat, when he delivered his speech before the inauguration, with its message directed at Trump's policy rhetoric.

It was certainly a day of the impossible becoming possible in the US. The New York real estate billionaire who was not taken seriously in June 2015 when he announced his campaign was now the US president - leader of the most powerful nation on the planet.

Meanwhile, outside the checkpoints to the National Mall angry anti-Trump protesters tried to disrupt the inauguration. Some organizations had been having daily protests for days.

In one violent protest erupting just blocks from the inaugural parade, a limousine was set on fire and police had to use teargas to disperse the crowds. A total of 217 people were arrested.

The scene the next morning was an even bigger surprise. I could not even get on the Red Line at the Woodley Park station after watching three trains pass by. This time the cars were packed with people, many wearing so-called PussyHats and carrying protest signs.

It was the day of the Women's March on Washington. The crowd was the largest I've ever seen since I moved here four years ago. An estimated half million people took part in the demonstration, more than attended Trump's inauguration on Friday.

They were literally all anti-Trump people, and many supporters for Hillary Clinton and Senator Bernie Sanders, another Democratic candidate in the 2016 race.

The enormous and enthusiastic crowd demanded women's rights, but also expressed deep concern over Trump's policies on immigration and the environment.

There is no doubt that Americans are deeply divided on some fundamental issues. A CNN/ORC poll from Jan 12-15 showed that 53 percent of Americans view Trump unfavorably while only 44 percent have a favorable opinion of him.

A Fox News poll from Jan 15-18 also showed an unfavorable view of 55 percent compared with a favorable opinion of 42 percent.

A Pew Center survey released on Thursday showed that most Americans expect the nation's political divide to persist.

A total of 86 percent describe the country as more politically divided today than in the past, with just 12 percent saying the country is no more divided.

While some believe that the nation might become more united after the Republicans control the White House and both chambers of the Congress, the crowds on inauguration day and the women's march clearly suggest otherwise.

Contact the writer at chenweihua@chinadailyusa.com

(China Daily USA 01/23/2017 page2)