Eight years ago, there wasn’t a soul brave enough to wear a MAGA hat through the streets of Manhattan, where liberals openly sobbed after Trump’s shock election win.
But it’s a new day in America.
Trump is back, bold and more popular than ever.
And in the lefty safe haven of Manhattan, support for him is higher than ever.
With the wind of his election win propping our sails, the Daily Mail team ventured out in Greenwich Village to test his newfound popularity.
I was the guinea pig of choice – anointed with a bright red MAGA hat, I bravely took on the task.
The result was surprising to say the least.
Walking around Manhattan’s Washington Square Park in a red MAGA hat drew a surprising range of responses from the public – with one young woman choosing to give me the finger
Several NYPD police officers grinned and nodded as they saw the red MAGA hat
While I was hardly embraced, I wasn’t punched – an outcome that feels less likely if I had pulled the stunt after the 2016 election
Just two days after Donald Trump cruised to a landslide victory in the presidential election, I expected wearing a bright red MAGA hat to Manhattan’s Washington Square Park would invite danger.
But I was stunned by the first responses – a man in his 20’s immediately smiled, raised his fist and mimicked Trump’s iconic reaction to his assassination attempt in July.
‘Fight!’ he added.
And while many of the city’s liberals and NYU’s student cohort gave me death-stares, a surprising number of those in the park – almost all men – smiled, complimented or seemed thrilled to see the red hat.
When Trump upset the odds and defeated Hillary Clinton in 2016, protests lit up New York City as the Big Apple fumed at one of their own.
In the Greenwich Village’s Washington Square Park, flanked by the NYU campus and filled with young New Yorkers, demonstrations lasted weeks and continued flaring up in the early Trump White House.
The park has a reputation for being America’s most left leaning public space. And it is synonymous with protests for progressive causes – some of them turning violent.
While I wasn’t embraced, I wasn’t punched either – and I think all would agree that is progress from eight years ago.
A surprising number of men grinned and showed subtle signs of support when they spotted the red MAGA hat
Manhattan is known as a liberal hotspot, but residents were far less hostile than expected, with one young man even raising his fist and saying ‘fight’
After Trump won in 2016, Washington Square Park played host to weeks of protests (pictured). Just two days after his 2024 victory, the park has seen no real protests or demonstrations
The first person who saw my MAGA hat mimicked Donald Trump’s iconic reaction to surviving an assassination attempt in July, raising his fist and shouting ‘fight’
Read More
Kamala Harris' shocking blow in deep blue NYC as she suffers worst Dem performance there since 1988
There were no protests in response to Trump’s victory, and the only lasting legacy of Kamala Harris’ doomed candidacy was a lone supporter handing out stickers, without many takers.
At least two NYPD officers gave me an approving nod as I walked past them, and several more men offered some form of ‘nice hat’ or a subtle thumbs up.
The reaction was undoubtedly less hostile than it would have been back in 2016. But I wouldn’t call it a resounding hit.
Plenty of people glared, did double-takes or shook their heads at me.
One young woman, sat smoking on a bench as I left the park, gave me a look of pure disgust and raised her cigarette to give me the middle finger.
Another middle-aged woman in a grey pantsuit even stopped walking when we almost came face-to-face, and another lowered her sunglasses and peered over them to make sure I caught her gaze.
Just days after the Kamala Harris’ thumping defeat, New Yorkers had seemingly forgotten about her doomed candidacy in ways Hillary Clinton sustained for some time after her loss
A red MAGA hat is known to spark fury among liberals across the nation, but the response in New York this week shows attitudes towards Donald Trump have shifted
Trump has made huge inroads with voting groups that shunned him in 2016 and 2020, including picking up 13 percentage points with Black men since eight years ago.
The President-elect also gained 13 points among voters aged 18 to 29 and a staggering 32 points among Latinos since the last election.
And although Kamala Harris won deep blue New York handily by 11 points, Trump clawed back significant percentages across the city – traditionally seen as one of the most liberal hotspots in the nation.
For example, in The Bronx, a borough with a majority Hispanic population at 54.6 percent and 43 percent Black population, Trump picked up 12 percent and 30,000 voters.
He made similar but slightly smaller inroads in Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn, showing that the response in the park was far from an anomaly.