Biden Street Trumpists

Ilya Azar traveled to Moscow, Pennsylvania, to talk about American society split before the elections

On November 5, the US will hold presidential elections, in which the country's Vice President Kamala Harris from the Democratic Party is trying to prevent the return of Republican Donald Trump to power. The candidates are neck-and-neck on Election Day, and the winner of the race is likely to be determined in the so-called swing states, where it is difficult to predict the outcome in advance. Special correspondent for Novaya Gazeta Europe Ilya Azar traveled to Pennsylvania, one of these states, and to Washington to figure out why Trump is loved in the outback and what the Democrats can counter to this.

Lackawonna County in Pennsylvania has always been Democratic, but under Trump the Republicans are growing stronger here, even though current US President Joe Biden was born in the county capital of Scranton in 1942.

A sign in front of the modest, albeit three-story, gray house says that Biden lived here until he was 10 years old, and in 1962, his grandfather sold the building to the current owner. Just a couple of houses away from it there is a more impressive building: three large flags hang on its facade - the USA, Ukraine and Israel.

If no one opened the door for me at Biden’s house, here Janet , a neat middle-aged woman in glasses and a bright red jacket, comes out onto the porch.

“I see you have a Ukrainian flag, but in your area many people still confuse Russia with Ukraine, ” I say.

“Yes, the Russians do this too, they think that Ukraine is Russia, but this is not so,” Janet sneers. “I don’t like it when big guys hit little guys.” I don't know what's wrong with us Americans? Why don’t we understand that Russia will not stop at Ukraine and will take over all the countries that were behind the Iron Curtain? Poland, Hungary, all those Hungarian wheat fields!

Janet worries that Ukraine has been sidelined by Israel because “Americans are incapable of thinking about two things at once.”

“As long as we thought about Ukraine, we did well,” she says.

— Do you think Trump will stop supporting Ukraine?

- No, I don’t think so. He said he would stop the war the day after he was elected.

- But this is just populism! - I exclaim, because due to the proximity of her home to the birthplace of Joe Biden, she was automatically classified as a Democrat. But in vain.

— Mr. Trump is an excellent negotiator. He was involved in real estate in New York, and nothing is more difficult for a negotiator than that.

“I worked as a lawyer in New York, and Trump does what all negotiators do - he starts with a very strong bid, then lowers his demands and meets in the middle,” says Janet.

Just in case, I ask her if she supports Trump, and she honestly answers: “Yes, I love Mr. Trump.”

- Living next to Biden's house!

“Yes,” she smiles. “When Biden comes to town and visits his home, it’s always very exciting. The secret services and the police gather there. Two groups of people stand on each side of the street, one chanting: “Four more years!” (the slogan lost relevance after Biden left the presidential race. - Author's note ), and another: “Genocidal Joe must go!”

Janet specifically states that there was no violence at these events. But many in the United States fear that anything could happen after the elections - the split in American society has become too strong.

Waiting for triumph

At the entrance to the Republican headquarters in Scranton, I am greeted by 81-year-old Donald Trump supporter Floyd Zable . He moved here from Nebraska, where he had his own farm, to be closer to his daughter, who even ran for county executive.

Floyd is wearing a textbook red Make America Great Again cap on his head, and at the headquarters, in addition to various propaganda materials, there are two life-size figures of a smiling Trump.

— The Democrats are losing. This used to be Democratic territory, but now, judging by the number of registered supporters, Trump and other Republican candidates will win the district, Floyd says.

He immediately goes on to criticize President Biden: “He lied about doing well in school! He said that he was one of the best, but in fact it was the opposite.” When I assume that since Floyd is so sure of this, he probably studied at the same school or knew Biden as a child, he admits that he is not local.

“But I come here, to the headquarters, every day at 8 am, listen to people and found out that all his words are lies,” says Floyd and switches to local Democrats. — The mayor of the city, a Democrat, does nothing for the people, two of the three county commissioners (elected officials who manage county administrations. — Author’s note ) are Democrats.

They are mismanaged and just crazy because the county is in a bad financial situation and they continue to spend like drunken sailors and put us in debt,

because they think it makes people happy.

Floyd begins his answer to the question of why he supports Trump with abortion. “The Democrats want abortion, they want to kill children, they want to kill potential taxpayers. “Republicans don’t support abortion,” he says, and then clarifies: “But while opponents say they don’t support any exceptions, that’s not true.” We don't want women to die to have a child, and it's up to them to decide."

— Is abortion the main issue of this election?

“It’s the Democrats who constantly talk about it, because they simply have nothing more to say, because Trump is doing a better job with the economy.” While he was president, food and gasoline prices went down, but when Biden became president, prices went up, Floyd says. “That’s why many Democrats switched to Republicans.” I've been here every day since 8 a.m., and the Democrats keep coming in and saying, "I can't take this anymore, I'm a Republican now."

However, the reverse process is also underway, and before these elections, many Republicans renounced the billionaire, and some openly supported Kamala Harris.

“In my opinion, they just lost their way,” the pensioner laughs. “They probably didn’t like what Trump said... He sometimes blurts out something like that.” But his politics are great, economics, military policy... He is respected in other countries! But Biden is not.

— But now it’s not Biden who’s running, but Harris! - I remind Floyd, but he is not embarrassed.

- Oh, she’s even worse! She didn't do anything. People from Sacramento (the city in California where Harris was Attorney General - Author's note ) told me that she simply destroyed the city. It did not help in any way with the situation with migrants, and many more people began to come than before.

It’s more difficult for Floyd to talk about the war in Ukraine; he accidentally calls Ukraine Iraq and immediately gets confused about Israel:

“I think it [Ukraine] is important, but it’s not the main topic right now.”

In the United States, many people still call all immigrants from post-Soviet countries Russians. So Floyd, right during our conversation, remembers his “Russian friend” Victoria, calls her and happily informs her that her compatriot is next to him. He hands me the phone, and I quickly realize that Victoria is from Ukraine.

It could be worse. In downtown Scranton, a black woman sells colorful bags with cats on them, complaining that she lives in a trailer and has nothing to buy food with. She learns from me that there is a war in Ukraine.

— Who will you vote for? For Harris, perhaps?

- For Trump! - To my surprise, she answers.

- Why?

“My last name is Vance, and his vice president is [Senator James David] Vance. I don’t understand anything about politics, I’ve never voted. In general, I vote for Jesus, I love God and ask him to help me, but Trump won’t help me.

We are talking to her on one of the central streets of Scranton, which three years ago was renamed in honor of Biden.

— You probably deliberately avoid Biden Street? - I ask Floyd.

— No, but I’m pretending that this is Spruce Street (Spruce is its former name. — Author’s note ). I'd like to see it become Trump Street, but I'm not sure we have the majority in the county to change the name yet.

Judy, an older woman wearing a pink Women for Trump cap, joins Floyd and me in our conversation. She is also unhappy with the growing number of migrants in the United States and criticizes Harris. “We will have a better country under Trump. Law and order! Why did Democrats open the borders? When I go to Europe, I need a passport, but whoever wants to comes to us. 400 people from Macedonia, an African country (actually a European country - author's note ), were settled in a town in Ohio, and they don't even know English!

She says that she herself has Polish roots, and in general, Americans are not against immigrants, but they should not get everything for free while Americans work and pay taxes.

Judy consistently rejects any criticism of Trump, and she herself criticizes the Democrats: Trump did not call for the storming of the Capitol , and in the crowd there were provocateurs dressed as Trump supporters; Biden is helping Ukraine because his family has business there; under Trump, Putin would not have dared to start a war.

- If they choose Kamala, we will burn in fire, the division will be even greater! She is a communist, her parents were Marxists.

She grew up in a mansion, she’s not from the middle class, as they say about her,” Judy argues, not noticing that her last two theses contradict each other, and immediately throws in a new argument. — What about the child killed by migrants who crossed the border illegally?

— It seems that in the USA there was no such division before? — I say thoughtfully.

“Obama started it all,” Floyd and Judy announced their decision after consulting. “It was he who raised the topic of separating blacks and whites, and the BLM campaign began about the fact that blacks are being offended. But what kind of discrimination are we talking about if Obama became president?! If you go to school and work, then everything is fine with you! These are not the days when they had to ride in the back of the bus. They say that they are promoted only because of the color of their skin, that they are sent to prison just because they are black. But that's not true.

“And all lives matter, not just black lives,” Judy concludes.

Democrats are tense

Republican opponents in Scranton were far less friendly. At the party office on the outskirts of the city they refused to communicate with me even on everyday topics, redirecting me to the press manager of the company. He explained that the participation of journalists in door-to-door (in America, more likely door-to-door) visits was excluded due to the need for “more gentle work” at the home stretch of the campaign.

I decided to wait for the volunteers at the entrance to the office, but the press manager called back and demanded to leave, promising to offer “other opportunities” (which, of course, ultimately did not happen).

I eventually found a representative of the Democratic Party myself - in the district administration building. At the entrance there is an early voting box. Although in Russia such voting is considered one of the tools for the authorities to influence the result, in the United States it was possible to vote early in some states since the beginning of October, and by November 4 as many as 75 million people had done so. By the way, in Pennsylvania, polls of such people indicate a likely positive outcome for the Democratic Party.

“This has always been a very Democratic district—it used to be three times less registered Republicans.” Obama won here in 2008 by 30 percent, although Clinton had a lead of only 8 percent in 2016.

Republicans are gaining ground, and Democrats are not keeping up the pace,

Lackawonna County Communications Director Patrick McKenna admits.

The reason, the official believes, is Trump and demographics. “We have the highest proportion of white males without a college degree. Only 23% of voters can boast of this, which is very low compared to other urban areas of Pennsylvania and the United States as a whole. In addition, the coal industry is in decline, which leads to the emergence of workers without permanent jobs and with low income, and Trump is appealing to this audience,” says McKenna.

Still, he has no doubt Harris will win the district. “I will be shocked if she loses here, because Democrats are in power almost everywhere here, she is attractive to women voters, and many women's political organizations here work hard for her. Biden wasn't having it. Minorities will also vote heavily for Harris, although Lackawonna is still a fairly white place and they generally don't see the point in voting. I expect her to win by a larger margin than Biden, but if she loses Pennsylvania, I'll be surprised, but I won't be shocked,” McKenna says.

At the entrance to Scranton on the highway I saw a large billboard with the words “Fascist” and the face of Donald Trump. McKenna believes such political advertising is entirely appropriate. “The Republicans managed to call Harris both a communist and a fascist. That is, they have no understanding of political science. If you see a billboard like this, it's because former members of Trump's cabinet have said publicly that Trump fits the book's definition of a fascist. This gave us a free hand to use the term,” explains the official.

“But I agree, political discourse in the US is pretty nasty right now.” As for fascism, I don't think many people understand what that even means. It’s just name-calling,” he says.

“It seems that the split in society is growing, ” I note thoughtfully.

— Yes, of course, people have always differed in their views on politics, but before it was more civilized. If your candidate loses, then life goes on, because in four years you can change the president. But now people, especially those on the right, are taking things much more personally. “I see a divide in families where they stop having Thanksgiving because of politics,” McKenna says, but he still hopes that American institutions will “protect democracy” and disaster will not happen.

When I ask what led to such a serious split, McKenna answers simply: the economy. “East and west coast elites versus the vast area in between, urban versus rural. Yes, these differences manifest themselves clearly during elections, but this tension has always been there, says the democrat. “But Trump unleashed it, gave people license to say things that had never been said before, and it became part of normal discourse.”

While foreign policy issues generally play a minor role in this election, in Lackawonna County, McKenna notes, voters are paying more attention to Ukraine. Largely due to the visible Ukrainian diaspora. There is even a Ukrainian Catholic Church in Scranton, but its pastor, alas, refused to communicate with me, saying that he was interested in the works of Jesus Christ, but not in the elections.

“They collect a lot of money from the church and send it to Ukraine. Moreover, there is a large ammunition factory here, which is sent to war.

Therefore, in our district, even among Trump supporters, there will be those who advocate significant support for Ukraine,” says the official.

Moscow is preparing for elections

A 15-minute drive from Scranton is a town called Moscow. Local residents say that it was once founded by immigrants from the Russian Empire, but no one knows the details.

I didn’t find the mayor and the head of the Moscow Council of Deputies at work, so I had to go around the city in search of interlocutors. The first Muscovite whom I tried to ask about his political leanings indignantly refused, closely followed my further movements along the street, and then even went to the police station located opposite his house (but, apparently, they were not interested in his investigation there).

The rest of Moscow residents turned out to be friendlier. The owner of the oddly named 2VintageChixx vintage store, Dennis O'Grady, was initially reluctant to talk about his political preferences: "I support some people, but I don't tell anyone who."

“The economy is crazy and getting worse, and immigration is absolutely terrible,” he told me nonetheless.

- Here? - I was surprised, because about 2 thousand people live in Moscow, and it is hardly a center of attraction for immigrants (although even here there is a Chinese restaurant).

“Yes, I don’t know where they come from, but they live in that house on the hill,” he points to a green building on the next street. — This is government-subsidized housing.

- Is this a problem for you?

“No, no,” he answers.

- But you yourself mentioned it!

- And what to do if illegal strangers come here!

Then, at this house, I met a Puertoorcanta Ray Gonzalez living in it in a red cap.

- Judging by your headdress (blue is considered the color of the democrats, and red - Republicans. - Approx. Aut. ) , Are you a supporter of Trump ? - I turned to him.

-No, no, I just like the color! I’m not yet sure who I will vote for, ”Ray laughed, opening his almost toothless mouth. Although Dennis believes that illegal immigrants settled in Moscow, Ray has a passport, and he, according to him, lived in the States all his life.

- At the rally of Trump, they said about Puertorikans badly.

- Yes, because I thought to vote for him, and now I don’t know what to do, because Harris said that she did nothing for the country, and Trump said that prices and taxes will grow with her.

So in a few minutes of conversation with Dennis, I calculated the trox in it: they are all unhappy with the economy and migrants.

- Are you reading thoughts?! - Dennis laughs when I share with him with his insight.

After he was revealed, the store owner is no longer restrained, he says that in Moscow many became Republicans, because "the throat is full of what is happening in the country."

Dennis seems to be an intelligent person, and I ask if Trump's rudeness is embarrassed.

- He doesn’t give a shit for everything!

- And do you like it?

- Yes, I like it! Obama was still normal, and Bidden did nothing with his hands, he only engaged in politics for 50 years. Kamala does not understand what to do at all. I can imagine how she will talk to Putin,

Dennis argues.

- And what do you, by the way, do you think about Putin? - I ask the Muscovite, and he replies that Putin was "a very powerful guy, but begins to take it."

“But he is a bad person?”

“He did nothing to me,” Dennis replies.

“But still he untied the war!” I exclaim.

- Yes, and this is another reason why I am for Trump. He will be able to talk hard with Putin and stop the war, ”he says.

According to Dennis, in Moscow, few people follow what is happening in Ukraine, and most of its inhabitants are worried that the United States spend billions of dollars on Ukraine.

“In Europe, it is believed that Ukraine will lose, Putin will capture it, and then, believing in its strength, it will attack other countries, ” I explain Biden's logic to the interlocutor.

“I agree with what you told me,” Dennis answers, thinking. - I did not think about it before.

After that, he is silent, and his wife Kay tells that when Russia attacked Ukraine, all her friends were in shock, but then they learned that, it turns out, Russia had a gentleman's agreement with NATO that Blok did not expand east , and somewhat changed their minds.

- Those whom I know do not want the United States to participate in the war. We want to buy goods and exchange technologies. All are very angry that we constantly give Ukraine money, although the victims of the recent hurricane in North Carolin cannot receive help from the government, and winter is soon, ”Kay is indignant, greatly exaggerating the figure of the dead during the natural disaster.

“But Putin will win then!” - I remind.

- Yes, the Americans in 2022 said that if they do not support Ukraine, then the Communists will capture all of Europe. But I do not know about this enough to assess the level of communism in modern Russia.

Judging by the video from St. Petersburg that I saw, Russia does not look like a communist country. People walk the streets, they are well dressed, shops look like in New York,

- says Kay. She believes that it is high time to conclude a peace agreement, and, like many Republicans, clearly advocates the US isolationist policy.

On the main street of Moscow, a large man called me out, who, along with three workers, for a short time broke off the repair of his house. He introduced himself as Brian Langom and said that he was moving here from Scranton closer to children and grandchildren.

He admits that his wife, daughter and many of his friends will vote for Harris, and he himself used to be for the Democrats, but changed his mind.

- Why? Because of the economy, which was better under Trump. Do you know what I mean? Someone like it or not, but with him everyone was better in our country. This is a fact! - explains Brian.

- Or maybe this is a coincidence?

-Yes, something has passed from the previous president, but Trump did a lot. But do not think that I think he is a good person. No, he is rude, understand what I mean? He says things that would not be worth it.

However, he is going to vote for him.

- I do not like high gas prices, I do not like open boundaries. Yes, we are America, so everyone needs to be allowed. But I think that this needs to be done correctly.

I do not think that 8 million illegal migrants can be allowed , as Biden did, and so that they do not pay taxes. This is dishonest, it is wrong

- Brian boils.

He specifically stipulates that not against a single religion or skin color. “We are Americans, we all came from somewhere,” he grins. “But if we do not all pay one tax, then this is a dishonest game.”

“You are not like the classic voter Trump, ” I say.

- Probably no, I have been a democrat all my life. But Harris is full of shit, to be honest. I do not think that she has experience in diplomacy, like Trump. And politics: gas is growing, milk, eggs are getting more expensive, ”he says and again goes to the painful:“ For 8 million, probably the majority are good people oriented to the family, they are oppressed in their homeland, but why do they not pay taxes, like me? ” They need to give a job! I would hire them myself! But this is dishonest if only we pay taxes! ”

Democrats-goggles from Moscow

In the United States, it is customary to stick signs with the surname of the candidates that they support into the ground near their houses. Harris’s supporters were not able to find in Moscow on this basis, although residents say that the city is divided between Trump and Harris's supporters approximately in half.

The owner of the VAC-Way garden accessories, David Particar, explains this by the fact that the Trumpists destroy them.

“I put Harris’s signs near the store, but the Republicans go on the tracks at night and collect them throughout the city,” he tells me.

The partner was once a republican, but Trump "turned him away from the party." In a joke, he calls himself an “outcast”.

- Many people like Trump's rhetoric and - without offense - they like that he is friends with Putin, who, as I think, controls Trump, because he is not too smart. I liked Joe, who grew up nearby, but he went a little with his mind, - David laughs, - and people around him had to start taking care of him.

The store owner says that America was better before Trump, and people were kinder to a friend.

- Trump wants to deport everyone, preparing to use force. But here is not Russia. Nothing can be said there - you will be arrested. What happened to Navalny and the rest is sad. It is very sad, ”David suddenly demonstrates a very high level of awareness for a small town about what is happening in another Moscow. - I crossed my fingers so that Trump did not get the keys to the White House again, because then it will be very bad.

- And the Republicans complain that with Bayden it became very bad with the economy.

- I think the economy works fine. Now there are more and more jobs, and inflation is finally the lowest world, less than 3 percent! Yes, people have to pay more for housing, prices are crazy, but Harris promises to do something with it. You just need to fix a lot of time what Trump has done. - the entrepreneur argues. - In his defense, we can say that Kovid hit. But he lost him.

I don’t know why the rest do not see this. He wants to remove medical insurance that we received thanks to Obama. So he worked perfectly, and he hated him because he was black.

Still, there is still a lot of racism in this country.

David is sure that Harris will be a good president, because she is qualified and educated, and most importantly, has empathy: “You need to take care of all people, and Trump will do only for their own, for those who agree with him. He wants to be a dictator! "

Oddly enough, in Moscow, the descendants of the immigrants from the Russian Empire who came here still remained. Grandfather Frank Goril , the founder of the local art studio, Moscow Clayworks, moved here from Kiev in the early 20th century, even before the revolution.

“But in Russian you don’t say, of course, ” I suggest.

- I know the "pig." My grandmother constantly called me that when I came to her. And I also know "Christ is risen."

Frank is registered as an independent voter, but is going to vote for Kamalu Harris.

“Personally, I don’t feel that there is some difference between parties in the sense of the economy,” he does not agree with the main argument of Trump's supporters.

- And then what is the difference?

- I am not a fan of how Trump communicates with people. I am not a fan of his rhetoric. And I would like to see a woman as president of the United States, ”Frank says in a soft and slightly melancholy voice.

- But people did not choose Kamalu as a candidate. Does she suit you?

“She's no worse than Biden or others.” I like what kind of person she is, especially in comparison with Trump.

- Do you follow international politics?

- I do not watch TV, so I know little about what is happening in Ukraine. I hope that it will be possible to stop the war. But I don’t know what will happen if Trump is chosen, whether he will create an alliance with Putin. It's all sad.

Frank says that he visited Russian, and also in Kyiv, where he tried to find a place where his ancestors came from. “Unfortunately, all the churches in Ukraine under Stalin were destroyed, and no entries about them were preserved,” he says sadly.

Washington chooses Harris

The US capital has a completely different atmosphere. This is not surprising: Joe Biden in 2020 received 92% of the vote in Washington, and Hillary Clinton in 2016-a little less than 91%.

In 2017, after the victory of Donald Trump, more than 200,000 angry women entered Washington streets. On November 2, three days before the elections of 2024, on which Trump can win again, a new female march took place in Washington.

- We are here for the sake of our rights, for the sake of reproductive rights. In order not to have a leader who is against unity. Trump is a man of hatred. He is for the rich. All the laws that he wants to adopt concern only his friends. What about us? - Marilyn explains to me. She came to the march in a T -shirt with a piece of crossword puzzle. One word is riddled horizontally: Donald Trump. Of the four letters, three are known - ICK. If you know English, it is obvious that the missing letter at the beginning is D.

But it's not that simple. Marilyn holds in his hands a large poster, which depicts two ticks-Deer Tick (black tick), Dog Tick (dog tick) and Luna Tick (depicted Trump). “Honestly, I'm incredibly tired. From people who pretend, that he is not complete hatred, depraved, narcissistic, non -core, intrusively lying, insatiable megalomaniac. I am tired of his lies, on his face, voice, family, his inability to say at least something good, modest, appropriate or truthful, ”it is written on the poster.

In the conversation, Marilyn is not so eloquent, but explains that those gathered here are against restrictions on immigration and separation of America from the rest of the world with a wall.

- If Kamala was not a candidate, would you still be here? - I ask.

- If Mickey Mouse ran against Trump, I would vote for him! - The older woman in a cap with the inscription "US Air Force in Retires" invades the conversation.

She asks me: "Why does Putin want Trump's election?" I reply that, probably, the fact is that they are both conservatives and hate democracy, but it turns out that the question was rhetorical.

- My ancestors come from Ukraine! Glory to Ukraine! - She says and turns away from me.

I squeeze out between women who filled the Square of Freedom in the very center of Washington. Many came with posters with funny inscriptions:

- Stay away from my uterus, you, fucking eccentric!

- Kits for Kamalu!

- If you deprive me of my reproductive rights, can I cut off yours?

-Girls just want fundamental rights ( Girls Just Wanna has fun-damental rights-a play on the topic of a well-known song. - Approx. Aut. )

- Magician (Make America Great Again - the main slogan of Trump from 2016. - Approx. Aut. ) For losers!

Many posters - with insults against Trump. But all this is without malice. It seems that I was transferred in 2011 to Bolotnaya Square, where a rally is held against falsifications in the elections. They also called Vladimir Putin a rat, but after 13 years it seems that it was almost loving.

There is in the crowd waiting for the beginning of the march, and men. For example, one - in a pink T -shirt with the inscription "Israel kills women every day for fun."

“I’m here to support women, to support Kamal, to maintain sanity in America,” the woman tells me who refuses to introduce herself because he is “afraid”.

“Are you sure Kamal will win?”

“I will do whatever I can win.” I can’t imagine that this monster is at the head of the country.

- And what will happen if he wins? I clarify.

“My biggest fear is that he will not leave,” she replies.

- Yes, it happened in Russia, but is it possible here?

“It happened there, it can happen here,” another woman sitting nearby interferes in the conversation. - I also thought like you, but only to the uprising (capture of the Capitol. - Approx. Aut. ). Look what he did when he lost. If - God forbid - he will have a second term, then he will change the rules to rule further, and refuse to transfer power, she assures me.