By Daren Braithwaite and Erianis Perez
New York City, NY and Milwaukee, WI

“Don’t even talk to me about Trump. He shouldn’t even be president,” said a woman in passing. Although this encounter lasted a fraction of a minute, it encapsulated what most people in Princeton, NJ, felt on August 4.

A diverse group of people said President Trump and his ideologies set a poor example as a leader on the global political stage. Women, foreigners, African Americans, and the elderly alike expressed a blunt disapproval of Trump’s take on immigration, his changes to American health care, and his bigoted beliefs.

When asked to describe Trump in three words, Matteo Torri couldn’t get past the word “scary.” The 25-year-old Italian said that Trump’s lack of experience in politics frightens him. Torri said that Trump is a “joke,” someone they mock back in Italy due to his extreme approach to issues, such as the wall on the Mexican-American border.

“I don’t like anything about him,” said 21-year-old Anna Aorn, who lives in Princeton. Another frustrated Princeton resident, Marie Shock, 66, agreed. “He is discriminative [to] just about everyone: women, African Americans, immigrants…just everyone,” she said.

While many struggled to highlight good traits in Trump, Kat Sopke was quick to emphasize that “he is not afraid to say what he wants.” However, she said his Twitter rants were an immature use of the social media platform.

Georma Whitman, a 50-year-old teacher from Kansas City, said that Trump has used his presidency to “prove a point that his way is the right way and to stick it to the Democrats.” At the same time, she said, he is “willing to let millions of people do without [health care].”

If Trump should continue on his current political path, said John Lovett, 35, the American public will continue to view him as unequipped and effective only in further “destroying the American foundation.”

The majority of the residents were unequivocally convinced of one matter: that in any democracy, constituents shouldn’t genuinely fear for the political stability of their country under the leadership of a man they elected.