by Xinhua writer Yang Shilong
NEW YORK, April 30 (Xinhua) -- From the deep-blue city of New York to one of the reddest states of Tennessee in the southeastern region of the United States, supporters for U.S. President Donald Trump still pin high hopes on him to "Make America Great Again" as his administration welcomed its first 100-day mark.
"We are here to make our voices heard. I believe President Trump can deliver real changes to America," Jack Jia, head of the New York branch of a U.S. group named Chinese Americans for Trump, told Xinhua at a rally near the Times Square on Saturday afternoon.
The 50-odd-year old Jia, who has lived in New York for 17 years, was among dozens of Chinese Americans wearing red T-shirts and holding banners of "Make America Great Again," and "Support Trump's 100-day action plan, welcome to the Trump era!"
Jia, a jeweler originally from Dalian of Liaoning Province in northeastern China, said that their grassroots volunteer group was officially registered to support Trump during the heated election campaign last year.
"Trump's policies including stress on law and order and tax cuts are appealing to me and many Chinese Americans across the country," Jia said."We are legal immigrants. We work hard and we make contributions to this country. We Chinese do not want to be bullied. We have to be united to take part in the politics."
During the election, many Chinese Americans were angry about the Democratic Party's support for an affirmative action that allows more people from underprivileged backgrounds to get a place at university. Some students with Asian backgrounds say it has unfairly undermined their efforts to get accepted by a college, even if they have higher grades.
A couple of non-Chinese Americans also showed up in the Trump-supporting rally, rarely seen in a city where over 90 percent of people voted for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
"He (Trump) has the potential to be the greatest president in U.S. history, if he is able to revive the American system," said Daniel Burke, New York representative of The LaRouche movement, which calls for a reform of the world financial system to encourage investment in the real economy and curb financial speculation.
"I disagree that the Americans are divided (out of the election). Americans are unified ... They want real economic development in the U.S. They are against speculations in Wall Street ... I am confident in him (Trump)."
"We have to rebuild our nation massively," added Asuka Saito Burke, "Now super left and super right are together. They are talking about the impeachment of President Trump. We have to come forward and speak out."
A senior white old man, clapping his hands, walked slowly to the crowd to show his support, while some of the spectators booed and shouted anti-Trump slogans.
"Trump will beat his opponents. He will be a successful president as my experiences told me," the old man told the spectators.
After 100 days in office, the young Trump administration continues to have staunch supporters and determined opposition.
Also on Saturday, hundreds of New Yorkers gathered in front of Trump's Fifth Avenue home to proclaim that he is a failure as president.
Yet just like Jia and his partners, Trump's supporters during the campaign remain largely by his side.
A new poll by the University of Virginia Center for Politics shows Trump's approval rating at 93 percent with these voters, among which 42 percent "strongly approve" while 51 percent "somewhat approve."
"He (Trump) is completely different from any of the politician(s), he is the kind of president who has not been here for a while," a middle-aged Uber driver told Xinhua when asked about Trump's first hundred days.
The apparent Trump supporter, who did not identify himself, said that except a few isolated cities including Nashville, capital of the southeastern state of Tennessee, people in the state overwhelmingly support Trump.
"Obama has not shown a lot of force. America was weak under his administration. Obama just sat there, did nothing in Syria ... That is terrible. So people are just tired of politicians just talking (but) not doing, People want change," he said, "You see what Trump did. They drop that bomb in Afghanistan. They make maneuvers to North Korea (the Democratic People's Republic of Korea) to show force."
"This guy is a businessman," the driver added. "He knows how to negotiate. He might not know everything, but he surrounds him with capable men ... He would make the best deal for America. People are excited. He is to cut the tax. Then he is to do the infrastructure. It is exciting."
"Frustrations. We need change, some change, but not radical, unreasonable ones," said Marilyn, 85-year-old owner of the Kurtz Restaurant in Bardstown of the state of Kentucky in the southeastern region of the United States.
The elegantly dressed senior lady, who has run an old-fashioned eatery serving homestyle southern meals and classic cocktails since 1937, said she has some frustrations with not only politics, but also the broader social sentiment in the country.
"The whole country has changed. People vote according to their attitude and personality ... The country we are leaving my children is much worse than the country my parents left me. They taught me how to work. We are not teaching our children now ... I hope they learn to give and love," she said.
