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Wodek Szemberg: No protests, no marches, no riots—This time, Donald Trump enters office leading a country resigned to who he is

Commentary

Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Atlanta, Aug. 3, 2024. John Bazemore/AP Photo.

An on-the-ground account of the inauguration from Savannah, Georgia.

In December, my partner’s birthday inspired me to splurge on a gift: a trip to Savannah, Georgia. We had visited there years ago, but only for a day, and we instantly fell for its quaint beauty—a testament to Southern charm, hospitality, and great food.

I timed the trip to coincide with Donald Trump’s inauguration. Experiencing it firsthand in the South seemed fitting for this historical moment. Upon arrival, I realized that although Savannah is very much in “the belly of the beast,” it has its own underbelly. And it’s coloured blue.

Kamala Harris won Savannah—specifically, Chatham County, of which Savannah is a part—by 18 percent. Georgia went to Trump by about 2 percent. For quite some time, Chatham County has been a blue spot in a red sea of rural Republican counties. Historically, Georgia and Savannah were part of the “Solid South” Democratic bloc, but the 1964 Goldwater campaign and the broader Southern realignment shifted the state toward Republican dominance. Since the 1990s, however, Chatham County has become reliably Democratic in presidential elections, even as the state remained Republican-leaning—except for Joe Biden’s narrow win in 2020. Notably, Chatham County’s racial composition is roughly 40 percent black and just under 50 percent white.

On our first outing, we visited the First African Baptist Church for a Sunday morning service. Established in the 18th century, it is one of the oldest African American congregations in North America. Martin Luther King Jr. preached at this church during a visit in the early ’60s. We happened to attend the day before MLK’s birthday, which would be celebrated with a parade just prior to the swearing-in of the 47th U.S. president.

The pastor, Eric Mason, delivered a fiery sermon. Trump’s name was not mentioned. Many female congregants, however, cooled themselves with hand fans bearing images of Harris. In a world where Christ’s promise to set everything right is central, the threats represented by Trump didn’t seem worthy of a comment from the pulpit.

The one name invoked was that of MLK, as it would be the next day during the inauguration when Trump proclaimed his embrace of King’s advocacy of liberty and merit-based politics against what he called “woke neo-racism.” It was a telling moment. One of America’s foundational ideas—liberal individualism—abandoned by many liberals in favour of postmodernist claptrap, was being championed by Trump. The irony was impossible to ignore. It recalls David Frum’s famous dictum: “If Liberals will not solve the immigration problem, fascists will.”

Later that day, before the inauguration speech, we met Kenisha, a 16-year-old black girl, during the MLK birthday parade on Broughton Street. She and her mother were selling small boxes of Krispy Kreme donuts to those bundled up and seated in fold-up chairs. Kenisha regretted being too young to vote for Harris this time but was confident she’d be able to vote for her next time. She said her interest in politics only began with Harris’ candidacy and her confusion over how a “felon” could be elected president.

Kenisha’s lack of anger as she spoke about politics reflected the general tone in Savannah. People talked about Trump without bile, even when critical of his personality or policies.

The one exception was Isabelle, an Uber driver originally from France. Having lived in the U.S. for 40 years, she now contemplates returning to Europe. “What are you most afraid of?” I asked. “Fascism,” she answered crisply. Encouraged by a conversation with her fellow European passengers, she expressed disdain for how “unbelievably stupid” Americans are.

We watched the inauguration in a large bar with multiple TV screens. The place was sparsely populated when we arrived. We’d hoped to encounter a large crowd of Trump supporters. The place just opened and there was a dearth of customers. Our waiter assured us that perhaps more people would come after the MLK birthday parade. No such thing happened.

Luckily, we sat next to two couples from Arizona. Among them, William, a mid-20s business student at the University of Arizona, was the most talkative. He voted for Trump, as did his entire family.

“What are you hoping for?” I asked.

The reduction of government expenditures was the primary motivation for voting for his vote. He didn’t mention deportations or foreign policy. He recalled a time when partying with friends was affordable, but inflation had killed the fun.

Although William was called a “disgusting human being” in high school for being a Trump supporter, his vote wasn’t based on love for Trump or hatred for liberals. He knows that Trump is a scammer and a grifter. His decision to release a crypto-coin the day before the inauguration, William admitted, was “outrageous.” Before leaving, William volunteered that he wouldn’t rule out voting for a Democrat in the future. “Do you have anyone in mind?” I asked. “Time will tell,” he replied, implying that no current Democratic figure meets his standards.

Tristan, an Alabama-born student at Savannah College of Art and Design, voted for Trump in 2020 but not last year. Coming from a patriotic family, Tristan wants to follow in his father’s footsteps by joining the U.S. Air Force and possibly entering the diplomatic service. He shifted leftward, partly due to his girlfriend, a pro-choice voter, and partly because of his concerns over Trump’s handling of foreign policy. “Trump can’t be trusted with the might of the United States to protect American interests and allies,” he said. When I asked about Ukraine, Tristan explained that seeing men his age die defending their country had motivated him to get off Trump’s isolationist train.

Steven, an older black Uber driver, didn’t vote for Trump either. He described the 47th president as “crazy like a loon.” Though he voted for Harris, Steven blames liberals for “not wanting to offend anyone.” He opposes deportations but strongly believes the U.S. should stop spending money on foreign countries. Still, he remains hopeful that America will find its way back to “common sense.”

Perhaps it’s the pleasantness of Savannah or the soothing Southern drawl, but political opinions here seem less sharp, less insistent, and less universalizing. Most Americans live in the grey area between the stark black-and-white worlds depicted in political reporting.

At my most chill and optimistic, I wonder if Trump could be seen as a hurricane whose destructive impact will clear the way for rebuilding an America less burdened by its self-consciousness about imperfections and more focused on creating a compelling future.

Wodek Szemberg

Born in Poland when Stalin was still alive, Wodek Szemberg started to make his way in the world with a degree in social and political thought from the now godforsaken York University. He spent many years working for TVO, the Ontario educational broadcaster. In the early 90s, he was publisher…...

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