Dozens of protesters gave President Donald Trump a not so warm welcome outside of a midtown fundraiser Wednesday evening.
The president attended an invitation-only campaign fundraising dinner at the Lotte New York Palace Hotel on Madison Avenue, between East 50th and 51st streets, that kicked off around 5:30 p.m.
The protesters rang bells and noise makers while chanting “we want a leader not a creepy tweeter,” and “liar, thief, predator-in-chief,” on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 50th Street as the president’s motorcade arrived around 4:25 p.m.
“There’s so many reasons to oppose Trump,” said Wrolf Courtney, 55, who lives in Park Slope and helped organize the protest with the group Rise and Resist. “He’s totally corrupt.”
"Liar, thief, predator-in-chief" chant protesters clanging bells and blowing whistles as Trump's arrival becomes imminent outside Lotte New York Palace Hotel in midtown Manhattan, where @realDonaldTrump is scheduled to attend a fundraiser. pic.twitter.com/77XilgMNLL
— Rajvi Desai (@rajviedesai) May 23, 2018
Mariachi band plays as part of protest outside GOP fundraiser to “serenade Trump.” pic.twitter.com/yIqD8eZ0Hh
— Alison Fox (@AlisonFox) May 23, 2018
Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who is part of Trump’s personal legal team, stopped by the protest area, waving and taking photos as people yelled “shame,” before hopping in a vehicle that drove off.
Chelsea resident Jay W. Walker, 50, a member of Rise and Resist since it was formed in the wake of the 2016 election, said Trump has corrupted the office of president.
“He has embarrassed this country globally. He has targeted more and more Americans with his absolutely murderous policy,” Walker said.
Dressed in a robot costume, Upper West Side resident Philip Shubin, 60, believes Russian bots on social media stole the 2016 election for Trump.
“The bots presented themselves as other than who they were and they spread propaganda to social media to encourage people to vote for Trump and discourage people to vote for Hillary,” he said.
As a security measure, the blocks surrounding the hotel were intermittently closed to cars and pedestrians between 2 and 7 p.m., according to the NYPD. Sanitation trucks were brought in to block protesters’ view of the hotel as Trump arrived.
Protester Betsy Malcolm, 62, said she wants Trump out of office, adding that he threatens American democracy.
“I’m terrified of what’s happening to my country and I want to see democracy flourish. I want the press and world to see that he is not wanted,” the Upper West Side resident said.
About 75 supporters were expected to attend the dinner — a joint effort between Trump’s campaign and the Republican National Committee — raising about $5 million in one night, RNC officials said.
Trump left the dinner, heading back to Washington, D.C., around 6:50 p.m. Whistles rang out and a small contingent of protesters screamed and cursed as his motorcade turned onto Fifth Avenue.
The president had visited Long Island earlier in the day for a roundtable discussion on MS-13 gang-related deaths, as part of his push for stricter immigration enforcement. Joined by Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford), the invitation-only event featured federal and local law enforcement officials and victims of the transnational gang.
The president recently called the gang members “animals” in a meeting with California lawmakers and law enforcement officers who oppose the state’s sanctuary policies.
Democratic lawmakers and immigration rights activists say Trump is using the gang to paint all undocumented immigrants in a negative, menacing light.
“There’s a reason Trump is doubling down on this rhetoric,” the American Civil Liberties Union wrote in a statement on Monday. “He is using the fear of MS-13 to justify policies which hurt all immigrants.”
With Alison Fox, Rajvi Desai and Laura Figueroa Hernandez
