Donny, How You Feel?
How often do we see President Trump getting booed? For a controversial figure who doesn’t step outside of tightly controlled areas - news pressers, MAGA rallies, etc. - it isn’t all that common to see him being actively and loudly booed. However, this has happened twice in the past week alone (as of the time of this writing): Game 5 of the World Series and UFC 244. In both of those outings, Trump was met with a chorus of boos (admittedly, he did receive some cheers at the UFC fight). At the World Series, he even received chants of “Lock him up! Lock him up!” ironically echoing his bases’ chants during much of his 2016 campaign against Hillary Clinton.
Though they may seem insignificant in the larger scheme of American politics, these are some of the most telling outings of the Trump presidency. Recently, the Washington Post released a poll that showed Trump’s approval rating to be a measly 38%, compared to a disapproval rate of 58%. The WaPo poll showed only 30% of Americans “strongly” approve of Trump’s presidency. However since his administration came into the White House, Trump and his base have made a regular habit of dismissing any and all negative statistics and opinions relating to his presidency. They often chalk the data as “fake news” choosing to believe this administration is a popular one. In fact, true to form, after Trump attended UFC 244, he tweeted that the reception felt like “a bit of a MAGA rally.”
These noteworthy events go against Trump’s narrative of being beloved by everyone except his enemies. To see two unrelated environments with highly diverse crowds react the same way shows exactly how unpopular Trump has become. The Washington crowd even showed more fervor than New York. The two sporting events showed Trump that even though he may surround himself with yes-men and a fanatical following, the majority of Americans can see this President for who he is.
Gabriel Zita is a junior studying psychology.