Who in New York most actively supported Trump and why

Joe Biden defeated incumbent President Donald Trump in his hometown of New York by a wide margin. But a deeper look at the election data suggests a sharp rise in support for the president in some constituencies. The newspaper writes about it The New York Times.

Support for Trump in different parts of the city

In the months leading up to the election, the Queens restaurant where Juliana Rodriguez worked for 18 years struggled to survive. Juliana herself admitted that she hesitated in her choice of a candidate for the presidency.

President Trump's immigration policies and the way he talked about Hispanic immigrants first led her to favor Biden. However, Trump's support for business during the pandemic still forced her to make a choice in favor of the current head of state.

“I don't like the way he talks about our people (we are talking about Trump's immigration policy. - Ed.), Said Rodriguez, 52, who came to New York from the Dominican Republic. “But then I saw everything he did in the first four months of the pandemic. And then I thought that maybe he has changed. "

Thanks to strong voter support, Trump won more votes in almost all 2020 constituencies in New York in 65 than in the 2016 election.

Initially, some of the most active voters who voted for Trump were Brooklyn residents, especially representatives of the Hasidic communities. Trump has also improved his performance in Queens and the Bronx, where large numbers of immigrants live.

In a populous part of the West Bronx, where more than three-quarters of the population is Hispanic, Trump received just 2016% of the vote in 5. And in 2020 there were more than 15% of them.

In Queens, where Juliana Rodriguez lives and works, his support has grown from 15% to 27%.

Where Trump Voted

According to experts, some voters were attracted by Trump's economic policies and their conviction that he is a strong leader. And while Biden did beat Trump in the presidential race, gaining 72% of the total vote in five boroughs of New York, the effective work of the incumbent won the trust of some Democrats in New York.

Daniel DiSalvo, professor of political science at City College and author of Engines of Change, believes the well-functioning economies of Trump played a big role.

George L. Rosario, 48, who runs a real estate company in Queens, believes the president's economic policies have greatly helped Latin American small business owners like him. And the businessman agrees with the president's stance on immigration - even though some of Rosario's colleagues accuse him of turning his back on his own community and supporting the president.

“When some people stand in line to get here legally, others get there illegally and harm society. This is a big problem for everyone, including small business owners, ”says Rosario.

He added that the president's rhetoric about Hispanics does not affect him. “I don't listen to what he says,” Rosario said. "I look at politics in terms of how the policy affects me, my family and my business."

Official election results released this month by the New York City Electoral Council show that in nearly 90% of counties, even where he lost, Trump's vote share has increased from four years ago. While accurate demographic results are not available, a survey of constituency results shows that he ran significantly more actively in Dominican and Mexican-American areas such as Elmhurst and Corona in Queens.

These results influenced generally accepted perceptions of the loyalty of Latin American voters to the Democratic Party. However, some voters find it difficult to come to terms with the policies of the Trump administration and the president's racist statements. “Although he is a racist, voters believe that you need to look at his actions,” said José Rámón Sánchez, professor of political science at Long Island University in Brooklyn and chairman of the National Institute for Latin American Politics.

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“There is a tendency to think of Hispanics as people who are primarily concerned about immigration. They are really concerned, but not as much as work, safety, housing, - added Professor Sanchez. "And the Democrats have not done much to make it clear to the Latin American community that they are going to do something about these issues."

Who voted against Trump

In the months leading up to the election, 25-year-old Jonathan Acosta, a Hispanic who voted for Biden, began to notice that his neighbors in the Crown were actively supporting Trump. He believes that religious values ​​and a strong economy, in particular stimulating payments from the state during a pandemic, forced them to reconsider their views.

Trump's support upset him. “Everything he said, not only about us, but about all minority groups, is just racism,” said Acosta, an aircraft maintenance technician.

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He added that he was especially angry when he learned that his deeply religious mother was planning to vote for Trump. Her decision was based on Trump's support for religious conservatives.

Acosta still hasn't asked her if she voted for Trump on election day. “I don’t want to know who she gave her vote to,” he said. - If it happened (his mother voted for Trump. - Ed.), then this cannot be changed. "

Support for Trump has also grown in many areas of the city, where the president has previously enjoyed popularity and support among voters. Constituency results show that his boundaries of victory have grown in the Hasidic Jewish enclaves of Crown Heights, Brooklyn, and in the vast majority of white communities such as Breezy Point, Queens.

Trump was successful among the Hasidic community because, according to political scientists, he shared their conservative views on social issues. Some Hasidim have established themselves in favor of Trump because of his approach to tackling the pandemic.

While Trump has won trust in many parts of New York City, this is hardly a consolation for the incumbent. After all, in January he will be replaced by Joe Biden, who won the presidential elections. In total, in New York, according to the local electoral council, Biden received 2 votes, while Trump received just 321.