Political insiders, pundits and pollsters were shocked by Tuesday night’s election of Republican Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United States.
Political insiders, pundits and pollsters were shocked by Tuesday night’s election of Republican Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United States.
That might be even more true in Hawaii, solidly a blue state and the birthplace of President Barack Obama.
But Lorraine Shin, who was a delegate to the Republican National Convention in Cleveland that nominated the billionaire businessman to be the GOP’s standard-bearer, said Trump’s election was the fruition of the hard work of herself and others, locally and nationally.
“I’m elated. This is so amazing,” Shin said. “I got the opportunity to be on the floor in Cleveland. It really was, like, chicken skin when they announced him and he came out and accepted the nomination. I came back and worked as hard as I can to have a presence and let (people) know the Trump candidacy exists in Hawaii. So, we’ve been working very hard for several months after the Cleveland convention. And, at first, people wouldn’t tell us ‘I’m for Trump.’ And then we were doing sign-waving, and for weeks, people would not even wave at us, or if they’d wave … they were making sure nobody saw them wave at us. Then the last three weeks, people were honking and waving and really getting excited about Trump.”
David Yonan, East Hawaii Republican Party chairman, said he thinks Trump will “clean up Washington, which is so needed.”
“He’s giving a voice to the regular people, the folks like us. He’s saying, ‘I hear you,’” Yonan said. “And we’ve been censored or silenced for so long. And he’s going to give our country back to us, our people.”
That was echoed by Trump supporter Gregg Hummer, a retiree who said he’s “sick of the establishment” in Washington.
“I think your blue-collar working person is just fed up with the same-old, same-old. And they thought Obama was going to change things, but things never really changed,” Hummer said.
Hummer said he was ostracized for his support of the president-elect in this contentious and combative campaign.
“I’ve had a lot of friends who came against me,” he said. “I’d wear my ‘Make America Great Again’ hat, and I’d have my Trump bumper stickers, and some of my friends, they kind of stayed away. It was really different.”
Sibi Hoke, the Republican chairwoman for state House District 2, said Trump has done the better job of addressing her concerns about national security.
“We’re so vulnerable to many people who may not like us, especially now,” Hoke said. “For a long time, I’ve felt they’ve been infiltrating and building cells across America. You know, all those attacks that we’ve had across America. That’s my main concern, that we’re secure and our border is secure, that immigration laws are enforced, that they’re improved. I know he doesn’t want to keep immigrants out; he wants them to come in legally. He wants them to be obedient to our laws, to respect America.”
Gerald Araujo, whose lawn was festooned with Trump signs, said security is his top issue, as well.
I’m looking for the safety of our citizens and safety of our families. We’re not getting that. America first,” he said.
Araujo added he’s glad not to see “another four or eight years of this failed administration.”
“I said eight years ago if Barack Obama was to run, he would put our country in tremendously bad shape. Now, we have to fight to get back our standing in the world situation,” he said. “Hillary Clinton would open our borders to all these countries, all these people that we can’t vet. Donald Trump is a savior. He’s a breath of fresh air, compared to Hillary Clinton.”
Shin, a businesswoman, said Trump will improve the economy.
“It’s about making sure that my kids and my grandkids will be able to have a career that will help them survive in this tough world. And, believe me, it’s been getting tougher and tougher every year. That’s what I’m looking for, that we have a president that understands business. He understands how to negotiate and how to put deals together. And he understands about providing jobs and making it happen for everybody. He is going to make a difference for a lot of people who felt they didn’t have a chance,” she said. “Other than my children having been born, this is one of the most important things that I’ve been a part of. It’s one of the most important things that has happened for our country.”
Hummer said that, scorched-earth campaign rhetoric aside, he thinks Trump will be able to build the political consensus to move the country forward productively.
“I know he’s brash, and he says what he thinks, but I think in his business dealings, he just has a way of bringing people together. And I think he will.”
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.