SYRACUSE, New York — Donald Trump came to Syracuse hoping to energize Republicans ahead of the midterm elections. Instead, one of the defining images of his visit may be the furious reception waiting for him outside.
Video from downtown Syracuse on Friday night shows a presidential motorcade moving through an enormous crowd of protesters packed along the roadway, with demonstrators holding signs, raising their hands and shouting obscenities at the president. At points, the vehicles appear almost swallowed by the crowd as chants of “F* Donald Trump”** ring through the street.
The dramatic scene unfolded after thousands of anti-Trump demonstrators gathered in Clinton Square before marching toward the Oncenter, where Trump was appearing at a Republican campaign rally.
Local media described the protest as numbering in the thousands. Spectrum News reported that demonstrators filled Clinton Square before marching toward Trump’s event, while organizers said their message was simple: Trump and his politics were not welcome in Central New York.
For a president whose political brand has long revolved around enormous crowds and carefully staged displays of strength, the Syracuse images offered a very different picture: a presidential convoy passing through a sea of angry Americans determined to make sure Trump could hear exactly what they thought of him.
A rally meant to show Republican strength
Trump traveled to Syracuse primarily to boost Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman, who is challenging Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul.
It was Trump’s first Syracuse appearance in roughly a decade and his first visit to the city as a sitting president. The timing was hardly accidental. With the November midterms approaching, Republicans are looking for enthusiasm from Trump’s base as they fight for congressional seats and statewide offices.
But Trump’s appearance also mobilized his opponents.
Groups including the CNY Solidarity Coalition and Indivisible Onondaga County organized a demonstration under the message that Trump was unwelcome. Protesters cited immigration enforcement, health care, federal spending cuts and the Iran war among their grievances with the administration.
Organizers instructed demonstrators to remain peaceful even as the crowd grew into the thousands. WAER reported that organizers had initially expected more than 5,000 people, while another recent anti-Trump demonstration in Syracuse had reportedly attracted nearly 10,000.
By evening, protesters had begun moving from Clinton Square toward the Oncenter.
WAER reported that pro-Trump rallygoers and anti-Trump protesters eventually began mixing in the same area, with some confrontations but an atmosphere that remained largely peaceful.
The motorcade becomes the spectacle
The video from the streets captures why Trump’s visit may be remembered as much for what happened outside the rally as for anything he said inside.
Police vehicles and dark SUVs move through streets surrounded by protesters. Signs reading “Abolish ICE Now!” can be seen above the crowd. American flags, protest placards and raised phones fill the frame as demonstrators crowd close to the roadway.
The convoy continues moving in the footage, so claims that protesters completely “trapped” or permanently stopped the presidential motorcade should be treated cautiously. But the visual is nevertheless striking: the most heavily protected political figure in America passing through an unmistakably hostile crowd.
And that hostility wasn’t spontaneous.
Before Trump’s arrival, protest organizer Judy Jerome told WRVO that the central message was simply: “Donald Trump is not welcome here.” Organizers accused the administration of pursuing policies they regard as anti-democratic and harmful to working Americans.
Trump, meanwhile, used his Syracuse rally to attack New York Democrats and campaign for Blakeman, promising Republican leadership would bring lower crime, tougher immigration enforcement and lower energy costs.
But the scenes outside provided a stark counterpoint to the applause inside.
Trump has spent years portraying his rallies as evidence of an unstoppable political movement. Syracuse offered another side of America — thousands of citizens willing to spend their Friday night standing in the streets specifically because they wanted the president to know they rejected him.
That may be the deeper political danger for Trump.
A president can control the stage, the music and the guest list inside a rally hall.
He cannot control the sidewalk outside.
And on Friday night in Syracuse, the sidewalk had something to say.
