‘I still love President Trump’

“One of the reasons people hate politics is that truth is rarely a politician's objective. Election and power are.” 

—Cal Thomas

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

NO one is so saddened and “deeply wounded” emotionally and mentally than Luis Lomuntad, President Donald Trump’s No. 1 supporter in the Filipino community in Elmhurst neighborhood here in Queens, New York City.

GALINEA (left below wearing a mask) tells Lomuntad: “Move on ka na lang pare.”

“Muntik na silang mag suntukan dito kaninang umaga (November 8, Sunday). Hindi nila dapat pinatulan si Luis. Mabait siyang tao at mahal na mahal nia si (President) Trump (They nearly came to blows this morning. They shouldn’t be too harsh on him. He is a good man and he loves President Trump,” reported Joseph “Pinky” Nocum a.k.a. “Mang Pepeng.”

Nocum, 82, a confessed former gunrunner in Guimba, Nueva Ecija in the Philippines before the Martial Law in the 70s, is one of Lomuntad’s two most loyal pals in this predominantly Asian community, a neighborhood in the borough of Queens bounded by Roosevelt Avenue on the north; the Long Island Expressway on the south; Junction Boulevard on the east; and the New York Connecting Railroad on the west.

The other is “Mang Peter”, 80, who lives in New Jersey.

Lomuntad always spent his “precious” time with Nocum and “Mang Peter” because “they were the only Filipinos who agreed with him (Lomuntad) that President Trump is a good leader,” said Camelo “Jun” Galinea, 64, a Biden supporter. 

Nocum described Lomuntad’s mood as “so depressed and he needs understanding.” 

Nocum said somebody from the Filipino community “chided” Lomuntad, 63, holder of official “Trump 2020 gold card” for refusing to accept President Trump’s defeat to President elect-Joseph R. Biden Jr. in the November 3 U.S. Presidential Election 2020.

 

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“Natural lang na lalaban siya. Hindi nia matanggap na natalo si (President) Trump. He (Lomuntad) believes the president was cheated,” added Nocum, who arrived in New York City in 1971.

Nocum said he learned that “even the dead were allowed to vote in Pennsylvania and other states.”

Nocum who voted for President Trump, confirmed that Lomuntad, the most passionate and probably one of the most loyal supporters of Mr. Trump in the community, was “hurting so much.”

I met Lomuntad at past 8 o’clock in the evening on November 8 and he was fuming mad that “they cheated (referring to the Democrats and Mr. Biden).”

“I am not optimistic that President Trump will win in his protest (against the alleged election fraud),” Lomuntad, an employee of Staten Island Ferry, sobbed. 

“If all the people, including the retired generals associated and loyal to President Trump na pinahiya nila (Democrats) at sinira ang buhay ay hindi nagkamit ng hustisya si President Trump pa kaya?”

Lomuntad confirmed Nocum’s story that he had a heated tiff with a fellow Filipino-American whom he did not identify in the community earlier.

He said, “the Democrats didn’t like President Trump because he drained the swamp. Marami sa kanila mga corrupt.” 

 

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“Sabi kasi nia (the fellow Fil-Am) bakit hindi na lang daw ako mag move on dahil talo na si President Trump. Eh they were the same people who told me not to move on when President Trump was being harassed and persecuted by the Democrats,” teary-eyed Lomuntad gushed. “I still love President Trump. Hirap ako maka move on dahil dinaya nila ang election. Saan ka naman makakita na sa 153,000 votes that were tabulated maski isa walang boto si President Trump puro kay Biden lahat?”

Galinea convinced Lomuntad to “accept the election result and move on.”

Lomuntad turned his back and silently walked away.

There was no evidence that the presidential race was rigged as claimed by Mr. Trump.

Mr. Biden clinched the presidency after cornering 290 Electoral College votes and 75,404,182 popular votes as of midnight November 8, while Mr. Trump garnered 214 Electoral College votes and 70,903,094 Electoral College votes.

The number of Electoral College and popular votes for both candidates are expected to increase. Mr. Biden needed only 270 to clinch the victory.

 

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Mr. Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala D. Harris, a former senator from California, were planning their transition effort, including the establishment of a coronavirus task force set to be unveiled November 9.

The moves by the president-elect and vice president-elect come as former President George W. Bush became the latest big name in U.S. politics to congratulate the Democrats on their victory.

President Trump, meanwhile, has reportedly continued to tweet false claims that the election was marked by fraud. 

He spent much of Sunday at his golf course in Sterling, Virginia, reportedly marking his 210th day golfing since becoming president.

On November 8 afternoon, Mr. Trump complained about news outlets’ decision November 7 to call the race for Mr. Biden. 

“Since when does the Lamestream Media call who our next president will be?” Trump tweeted. “We have all learned a lot in the last two weeks!”

(The author, who is now based in New York City, was a former editor of two dailies in Iloilo)