Appadurai Raman (L)
and Bridgitte Y. Williams pose together on the inaugural parade route shortly
before President Trump makes his way to the White House.

“He’s your president!” Bridgette Y. Williams told a protester raising a sign and walking down the presidential parade route lined with Trump supporters, shortly after his inauguration ceremony. 

“If you don’t like it, get out of the country.”

Other Trump supporters took notice, some in the crowd cheering her on. One told her she should be part of Trump’s administration.

“I swear, I’ve been interviewed by four people today,” Williams, the 51-year-old African-American Trump supporter said. Williams is a substance abuse and family therapy counselor from Fredricksburg, VA.

“First of all, let’s be honest,” Williams said.

“This election was the lesser of two evils. I refused outright to vote for Hillary because the woman was a liar. She sold this country out, and she used her power and her position to gain more money for her foundation. She could not have cared less about our country.”

Williams admitted that although she had been “bucking for” Ted Cruz in the Republican primaries, she decided to vote for Trump in the election.

“I did read into a lot of what Trump had been saying,” Williams said. 

“He’s not always going to say the correct things because he is a businessman, not a politician. So, you get what you vote for.”

“Now, I do believe the man has a passion,” Williams said. 

“I do believe he wants to make America great again, and I really do believe that he knows he can make America great again.”

The controversy over Trump’s cabinet appointees did not matter to her. What she cares about is Trump’s promise to tackle the immigration issue and create more American jobs.

“We have too many people coming in to this country who are actually attacking us,” Williams said.  

“If you don’t like this country, then don’t even be here. Technically, we need to get some law and order here because things have gotten out of control.”

Regarding Trump’s promise to boost the US job market, Williams said she believes the president has an invested interest in ensuring that Americans have jobs.

“There are a lot of colleagues of mine who did not have a job,” Williams said. 

“The government says the unemployment rate went down, but there were people that I know who didn’t even factor in because they stopped looking for jobs.”

At this point, an Indian-American Trump supporter standing nearby named Appadurai Raman chimed in. Raman, a technical consultant from Ellicott City, MD, came to see the inaugural parade with his wife, son, and daughter. He explained the participation rate in the US job market was “historically low,” so the reported unemployment rate of 4.7 percent is misleading.

“The unemployment rate looks better at 4.7 percent, but it’s not really that number,” Raman said. 

“Also, 80 percent of the jobs the government built are mostly for temporary workers, so it’s not the reality. Historically, it’s the slowest growth over the last eight years.”

Though Williams had not previously met Raman, she told him that she certainly agreed with his assertion, and they began discussing Obama’s failures as president.

“I think the information the media was putting out was skewed, “Williams said. 

“It made it appear that Obama was doing great things, when he was not. I’ve just been straight up disappointed with him during the last four years.

“I will admit it that I voted for him in 2008,” Williams confessed. 

“I really thought that he was going to do something different. When he got in office, I didn’t feel as though he was really here for America. He really was not helping us. To me, he worried more about what was going on with the Muslims than he was about us being here in America.”

Williams came down to Washington, D.C. with another woman she met on a Facebook group called, “The Deplorables United.”

“A young lady from the group and I decided that we would come up to D.C. together, and we’ve been getting along great,” Williams told me. 

“She’s a white lady, and we didn’t even know each other. We’re really enjoying ourselves. To me, this is a movement, and I’m so happy to be part of it.”

When asked what her hopes were for the US during President Trump’s administration, Williams said she wants Trump to “increase jobs and close our borders.”

Raman added that he wants President Trump to “stop the drugs and make life in the inner cities better.”

“That’s actually one of my main expectations,” Raman said. 

“In places like Baltimore and Chicago, I hate people killing each other. Even if [President Trump] does half of what he says he will do, that’s going to be good for the next century.”

“A lot of people have nowhere to go,” Raman added. 

“Like using drugs, not going to school, killing each other, not finding jobs. Those are the people he’s saying he will help, and hopefully he actually will.”

Williams criticized Obama’s failing to effectively address the violence in his hometown, Chicago, during his presidency.

“How in the world could he be president for eight years and do nothing for Chicago, for the place that he came from?” Williams asked.

“It’s almost as if once he got into office, he got what he wanted,” Williams said. 

“He got his money, and he left his own people behind, which is ridiculous. The reason why they’re killing each other in Chicago is because there is no hope.”

Williams said she was happy to have voted for President Trump and that he is “[her] president.” She further refuted the notion that he is “a racist and a xenophobe,” simply saying: “Prove it.”

“Yeah, he said some crazy things,” Williams admitted. 

Williams went on to acknowledge that Trump is not perfect, and that he will have to make some corrections. Still, Williams remains hopeful that Trump will be a great president for all Americans.

“Again, he is a businessman. It is our job to help him and to pray for him. And you’d be surprised how your views will change once you get into a position. Trust me, he’s going to do some tweaking.”

Contact Leo at [email protected]