By Matthew Rusling
WASHINGTON, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) — U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’ s stunning political upset has sparked protests in several major cities nationwide, and the demonstrations may continue for some time.
That’s because Trump has elicited much controversy over the past year in one of the most controversial and nastiest presidential races.
While the New York mogul’s supporters back him strongly, many others despise the man they view as overtly sexist, and who has referred to Mexicans as rapists and criminals. Many also view Trump as a loose cannon who easily flies off the handle, and fret that he may make rash, poorly-thought-out decisions based on emotions.
Recent days have seen thousands take to the streets in major U.S. cities to protest a president-elect who has grabbed headlines for his outrageous sexist comments and myriad other insults toward women.
The question remains whether the protests will continue, fade out, or even turn violent in the days and weeks to come.
“The protests against Trump will continue. Progressive forces are strongly opposed to Trump’s agenda and will ferociously resist what he is doing. There is a risk that protests turn violent and exacerbate societal tensions,” Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Darrell West told Xinhua.
Trump already has used Twitter to attack protesters and say they are unfair and incited by the media. “He is thin skinned and these protests will be very upsetting to him. He is likely to give local police resources to deal with these disruptions,” West said.
Others, however, believe the protests will fizzle out in the coming days and weeks, although it remains to be seen whether more demonstrations will follow once Trump assumes office.
“I believe the protests will die down over the next week or two,” Dan Lee, an assistant professor at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas, told Xinhua.
“But the next question is what sorts of protests will happen after he actually enters office. That is, what protests will there be against specific bills once they are proposed and then make it to the floor in Congress? Then what protests might happen after specific bills are passed and signed into law?” Lee said.
Trump is a candidate who is loved by his supporters and hated by his detractors. While a shocking 53 percent of white women voters cast their ballots for the billionaire, many other women are staunchly anti-Trump.
Indeed, the president-elect has over the past year made crass comments against several women, including former Republican contender Carly Fiorina, making disparaging remarks about the former HP CEO’s face. “Look at that face!” he said during the primaries, suggesting she was unattractive.
Recent weeks saw Trump get embroiled in a social media war with a former Miss Universe, calling the former beauty pageant winner “Miss Piggy,” remarking that she had put on weight in recent years.
Trump in recent weeks also caused a media firestorm after the release of tapes, several years old, that showed him making overtly sexist remarks on a radio show and backstage on a separate television show.
