As I saw the Trump demonstrations at the golf course in my neighborhood expand over time, I wondered what the long-term effects of these protests would be on both the neighborhood and its inhabitants. The size of the protests expanded enormously over the summer, growing out of simple and short displays by protesters who would meet and greet the arrival and departure of the motorcade. Something that used to last no more than 20 minutes began to extend to several hours, with elaborate setups and displays (video here) as protesters and supporters claimed territory and became louder and more acrimonious.
The turn in the weather signaled a dying down of fervor. In fact, most Trump protesters were content to see the weekend that Georgia was called and the 270 electoral votes first reached—while Trump golfed—as the moment that the protests became a celebration.
But as Trump has dragged out his refusal to concede, or even acknowledge that the majority of the country is ready to say farewell, his list of unmasked dead-enders have escalated their deplorable behavior until it began crossing the boundaries of decency.
On Saturday a small group of Trump protesters was confronted by a man wearing an inflatable Trump tube around his waist. He verbally tussled with the group and then “coughed” or “exhaled air violently” into the face of one of the protesters—an older woman. The incident was caught on video and shared in an effort to identify the man, who had been seen at previous protests with the same inner tube. MediaITE also pulled together some clips in their coverage.
Loudoun County Sheriff Officers were present on the scene, but they did not intervene in any meaningful way. The incident received a wider profile through social media, with assurances from Phyllis K. Randall, the chair of Loudoun Board of Supervisors, that she would seek out the identity of the man and take any legal action by Monday. On Sunday afternoon, she issued this tweet:
According to a Facebook chat, the woman who was on the receiving end of this action is scheduled to be interviewed on local news Channel 4 today during the 6 PM block. I’ll update this post with the interview if it’s shareable.
At the moment, Trump is again at the golf club while the number of COVID-19 deaths continue to climb unabated. As others have pointed out, his own son has tested positive. But what can you do? Trump golfs and Americans die.
