Dalton: I’m Meg Dalton. You’re listening to Uptown Radio.
Long-Higgins: And I’m Hannah Long-Higgins. Donald Trump is spending the rainy weekend at his golf club in New Jersey after a big day yesterday. Republicans in the House narrowly passed a health care bill that would replace Obamacare. DALTON: And in the evening the President made his first public appearance in New York since his election. As Melissa Caceres reports, some were thrilled to welcome the Queens native back to his hometown, others… not so much.
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CACERES: Across the street from the Intrepid, the floating military and maritime museum on the Hudson River, a crowd holds up signs with Donald Trump’s name. But they’re not happy with Trump’s return to his hometown. Security is tight and hundreds of demonstrators are packed together chanting “Shame.” Marian Ogbuli is one of them. She’s a 62-year-old retiree. And today, she’s making her feelings for Trump known.
OGBULI
I tell you, this man will never be welcome in New York. Never ever. He will never ever be welcome. Anytime he’s in New York I’m going there. To show him that you are not welcome.
CACERES: And she’s kept her promise so far. Ogbuli has been protesting for hours. She’s a Nigerian American and she doesn’t like Trump’s immigration stance – like the wall he’s proposing on the Mexican border.
OGBULI
When Mexicans come here, or any other person comes here, they just want to come here, work, feed their family. Why can’t we live and let live?
CACERES: Being with other protesters is her way to stand up for her beliefs.
OGBULI
Cause I can stay at home and go on the internet and converse with people but I want to come here and stand shoulder to shoulder with people, Americans, so that the world will see, not everyone is like Donald Trump.
CACERES: Trump is pushing to repeal the Affordable Care Act. That’s one of the reasons 50-year-old Tanja Meding is here. She stands near a booth selling rainbow colored Anti-Trump pins. She says she’s a cancer survivor. And is worried about affording insurance without ObamaCare.
MEDING
I think we would have a problem and have very high premiums to pay.
CACERES: Angela DeGregorio feels the same way. She’s 32 years old and nervous about the future of healthcare for freelancers like her.
DEGREGORIO
I’m insured now, but when my project is over, I won’t have health insurance and now I probably won’t be able to get it.
CACERES: She holds up a brown sign with black-painted letters.
DEGREGORIO
It says ‘You’re taking away all of the things that make me proud to be an American.’
CACERES: Down the black, a small pocket of New Yorkers is proud of Trump. Ariel Kohane is from the Upper West Side. He’s wearing a Yarmulka with a picture of Trump and holds a sign that says Jews for Trump in Hebrew. He says he likes Trump’s pro-Israel approach.
KOHANE
He’s not forcing them to give up land for peace. Like President Obama did or Hillary Clinton would’ve done.
CACERES: Kohane says it’s not easy living in New York with his political leanings. By 10 pm, crowds are dwindling but determined and still chanting. They’re waiting for Trump to make his exit along the West Side Highway. But they’re out of luck. A few minutes later, he leaves for his New Jersey golf club on a helicopter. For Ngbuli, the 62-year-old from Nigeria, it was worth waiting all day.
Ngbuli
You know, this is like therapy for me. I’m so so happy I came today.
CACERES: Trump is scheduled to stay in New Jersey for the next few days. And Ngbuli says where he goes she’ll be there.
Melissa Caceres, Columbia Radio News
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