Midtown Manhattan To Trump: Good Riddance

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — As New Yorkers took to the streets this weekend to celebrate former Vice President Joe Biden's victory over President Donald Trump, the most raucous partying of all may have taken place in the president's former neighborhood.

Hundreds gathered Saturday in Times Square, at Columbus Circle, and near the barricades surrounding Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue, which served as Trump's official residence for nearly 30 years until he changed it to Florida last fall.

When asked about the president's loss, four elected officials who represent districts that include Trump Tower — all of whom are Democrats — had little love lost for their former constituent.

"This election was without a doubt a repudiation of Trump and Trumpism, a cult of personality that elevates hate, fear, greed, corruption, and ineptitude to a perverse art form," State Sen. Liz Krueger told Patch in a statement.

U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, a frequent target of President Trump's jabs, said that voters "made clear that they reject Donald Trump’s agenda of division and hate."

Assemblymember Dan Quart called Trump "a disgrace to this city and this country," while City Councilmember Keith Powers focused on how a Biden administration would respond to the coronavirus.

"Our country deserves a President that follows the science during a pandemic. Change can’t come soon enough," Powers said.

At Columbus Circle on Saturday, dozens of police stood guard in front of Trump International Hotel & Tower, while traffic was brought to a standstill by revelers who climbed on top of their cars, waving American flags and Biden banners.

They blasted celebratory music — Queen's "We Are The Champions," Fleetwood Mac's "Don't Stop," Sister Sledge's "We Are Family" — and greeted Sen. Chuck Schumer, the Senate Minority Leader, with a chorus of "Chuck, Chuck, Chuck" when he showed up at the gathering with his entourage in tow.

Based on preliminary Election Day results, Midtown's voters felt the same as its celebrants: Biden received large majorities of the in-person vote in every part of the neighborhood.