Trump Tower in NYC: Supporters gather for former president after assassination attempt

NEW YORK - Ever since former President Donald Trump’s dramatic ride down an escalator at Trump Tower in Manhattan to announce he was running for president in 2015, the site has drawn both protestors and cheering crowds in equal measure.

But Saturday night was different. There was no yelling or screaming. Instead, the supporters who had assembled were subdued and looked shell-shocked. A heavy police presence added to the intensity of the moment.

Hours after the former president survived an assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, an emotional crowd of supporters gathered at 721 5th Avenue, where a triplex penthouse overlooking Central Park served as his primary residence until 2020.

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Some were waving the American flag, others were draped in them. Most were wearing MAGA hats.

Jon Lamar, an electrical technician from Queens, said he was home watching the rally on TV when he saw the chaos unfold.

He said he was dressed in a Colombian soccer jersey and about to head to Times Square for a rally in support of his team, which is about to face Argentina on Sunday.Instead, he changed out of his jersey and hopped on a subway to Trump Tower to show his support, for “a fellow Queens boy.” Trump was born and raised in Queens.

“Right now, my brain is numb. It’s horrible,” he said, draping an American flag around his neck. “Democrats have so much hatred for this man for simply doing what is right for this country. It’s disgusting,”

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Lamar, 40, a registered Republican, who described himself as “100% Latino and not some far-right person,” said the country’s political discourse had veered into dangerous territory.

Most people who had assembled outside Trump Tower lamented the divisions and political polarization in the country and how unsettled they were feeling.Katie Sullivan, 48, a lawyer from Brooklyn, came to Trump Tower with her friends carrying lit candles.“I think this was an attack on a good man, a fellow New Yorker, a fellow American, and I’m here because I want to see the Republic endure,” she said.

Sullivan said she believed the country was divided and in a “very dangerous place.”

“I’m not here for politics,” she said. “I’m here because I support the constitution and the rule of law and not rule by violence and force and fear.”

A registered Republican whose first choice was not Trump in the primary, Sullivan said that going forward in the election, she would like to see both candidates questioned vigorously on every possible issue and the reporting be fair and even-handed.

“I’m very tired of hearing about, ‘oh, he’s going to be a dictator’ and destroy democracy. That’s not true. That’s fear-mongering,” she said.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams , who called the incident “horrific,” said the New York City Police Department will be “surging officers” across the five boroughs.

“No matter our disagreements, we must all agree that violence of any kind is unacceptable,” he said.

Linda Andrews, 51, who works as a nanny in Manhattan, said she felt compelled to come to Trump Tower because she was fearful that “things could fall apart at any time.”

Andrews, who is Black and a former Obama supporter, said she was disappointed with Democrats and was “all in for Trump.”

Wearing a “TRUMP” red hat, she said she was praying for Trump.

“I want him to see that we are upset and that we love him.”

Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy is a White House correspondent for USA TODAY. You can follow her on X, formerly Twitter, @SwapnaVenugopal

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump Tower in NYC: Supporters gather for former president after assassination attempt