Can’t we all just get along, regardless of our politics?
That was the prevailing attitude from New Yorkers and tourists outside Trump Tower on Sunday, nearly 24 hours after former President Donald Trump was nearly assassinated at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
New Yorkers spoke out about the shocking incident outside Trump’s namesake skyscraper and New York residence, where the NYPD had beefed up security with a large, armed presence combing the perimeter near the corner of 5th Avenue and 57th Street.
Meanwhile, a legion of Trump supporters, shocked New Yorkers, and even curious tourists came to Trump Tower, with many of them demanding that the increasingly hostile political rhetoric between political parties and candidates come to an end.
“It’s not about being a Trump supporter because I’ll support anyone that can do the job,” PJ Marcel told amNewYork Metro. “We need acts of unity. We need acts of kindness. We need to love each other. We need to care.”
Marcel said he made rallying cry online for people, regardless of political viewpoints, to assemble and denounce the act of violence.
“You can have your opinion, you can disagree, but that does not mean that gives you the right to go and take a f–king rifle and take a shot at somebody that has a different view,” Marcel added.
Ohio high school teacher Stephanie Leasure, who is on vacation in New York, said she was stunned by the widely circulated video showing Trump being pulled to the ground by Secret Service after bullets appeared to whiz by Trump’s head, grazing his ear. Wanting to show her support, the educator proudly showed amNewYork Metro that she purchased a t-shirt from Trump Tower. Leasure also noted that she was happy to see that President Biden reached out to Trump as he was getting check by medical staff.
“I just thought it was really cool that President Biden called him yesterday and tried to get a hold of him and show his support,” Leasure said, adding that it makes her fearful for her safety at the polls.
“When you go to the polls, for example. What if there are people there? What if it gets to where they’re intimidated to go in and vote. People on Trump’s side, and people on the other side, and they’re battling it out — I wouldn’t want to walk through that to go vote,” she observed.
Alvaro Villegas, a Republican, says he feels the attack is the culmination of two political parties who have been taking accusations and verbal attacks at one another too far.
“The first thing that went through my head was ‘Yeah, well, it’s happened.’ Somebody finally took what they’ve been hearing from some people in the media, some politicians, and again, they’ve taken it to its logical conclusion,” Villegas said. “One side believes the other side is evil.”
