‘Love Wins’: Trump Supporters, Detractors in NY Promote Peaceful Disagreement Amid Rising Political Tensions

After a day of protesting in New York City regarding former President Donald Trump’s indictment, a common sentiment outside the Manhattan courthouse was the need for more understanding and less violence amidst rising political tensions.

Ray, a pro-Trump protester from New Jersey, told The Epoch Times, “I’m glad to see people were peaceful. I’m glad to see people are taking their right to protest seriously and not being afraid to protest because we can only have a free society if people feel that they’re free to voice their opinions—even if they’re differing opinions.”

Ray said he was encouraged by the peaceful conversations he had with other protesters who held different perspectives.

Trump was charged with 34 felonies of falsifying business records relating to adult film star Stormy Daniels’ payment during the 2016 election cycle. Some Republican supporters of the former president and some Democrats believe that the Manhattan District Attorney’s case is a politically driven attempt to keep Trump out of office for good.

Many supporters of Trump claim that the charges are baseless, and that such politically motivated attacks should never occur in the United States. Ray expressed his opinion that what is currently being done to Trump is wrong and shouldn’t be allowed in the U.S, stating, “This to me is not even about supporting Trump or Biden. This could happen to Biden—I wouldn’t like this to happen to Biden either.”

On the other hand, Lukas Ventouras, a student at New York University, noted that although he believed that the prosecution had a strong case, he attended the courthouse to better understand the supporters of Trump. He said, “I just want to learn more about the people who are supporting him and understand why they feel the way they do. I’m really curious, and I’m just here to learn.”

On another note, Don Folden, who is 70 years old and had traveled from Washington, aimed to lead by example and promote peace. He stated, “What I’m trying to do is be the light because there’s so much darkness out here,” explaining why he had come. “I’m trying to be the light.”

Tense Moments

Although the majority of demonstrators remained peaceful, there were some tense moments. In one instance, a woman wearing a MAGA hat tried to remove a “Trump Lies All the Time” banner belonging to anti-Trump protesters, which led to her being knocked down when the banner’s owners attempted to retrieve it.

In another instance, Steve Merczynski, a Trump supporter, was argumentative with an opposing protester. Some onlookers praised Merczynski for his response to the situation, telling him that he handled it well.

Even though incidents like these occurred, Merczynski did not let it bother him. He said, “I’m all for debate. Debate is a good thing, you know. So, they’re just haters and they think they’re right, and I’m not going to shut up. They’re the ones who should be ashamed.” Merczynski, who owns MAGA Hammocks, also acknowledged that the current political climate can make it difficult for those who hold opposing views to have a peaceful dialogue.

Michael Anthony, a Libertarian from New York, expressed similar concerns that the right to peacefully disagree with those in power is disappearing.