SAN FRANCISCO—When President Donald Trump officially kicked off his 2020 presidential reelection bid in Orlando, Florida, a large group of mainly Chinese Americans gathered to celebrate the announcement.
The group held a dinner party on June 18 at the Grant Place Restaurant in Chinatown, where a live stream of the announcement was being shown. A large sign with Trump’s 2020 slogan, “Keep America Great,” was hanging on the wall to celebrate the event.
Even in a deep blue city such as San Francisco, the Asian American community appears to be becoming more vocal about its support for the president. Attendees expressed that they are confident that Trump will win the 2020 election, and are ready to vote for him when the time comes.
“The United States is a society that values freedom. I believe God will protect and bless our president, allow him to succeed, because we have someone like him [Trump] to lead us, [who] dares to speak, dares to do, dares to lead America back on a righteous path,” San Francisco mayoral candidate Ellen Zhou said.
Other attendees echoed Zhou’s thoughts, explaining that they believe Trump is someone who keeps his word.
“He keeps his promises. He sticks to what he campaigns on and he does it, and he’s one of the few people who really does it, and I admire him for that,” said Paul Taylor, a former 2018 Senate candidate.
Trump has positioned the 2020 elections as a choice between socialism and freedom.
Mr. Cheng, a shop owner and Chinatown resident, noted that Trump is different from the other presidential candidates because he represents traditional values and wants to help the country.
Cheng said that his family are longtime Republican Party supporters and support Trump.
He explained that he and his family left China to escape the Communist Party and persecution, seeking a better life in the United States. However, after arriving in the United States, he realized the Democratic Party has a similarity with the Chinese Communist Party. Cheng clarified that the Democratic Party doesn’t equate to the Chinese Communist Party, but both parties use “pretty language” to gain supporters and “say one thing, then do something different.”
“He [Trump] already had fame and money, was rich and famous, but he came out [to run for president] and had a group of people scold him. People asked him why he ran for president [in 2016], and he said that he loves this country. Right? He used to live a comfortable life,” said Cheng.
During the announcement speech, Trump celebrated the accomplishments of his administration over the past two years and vowed to keep the country thriving.
“I think it’s good to see that there are so many people who support his campaign. I believe there are things that could be improved, of course, but I think, for a lot of people, for the non-naysayers, [Trump] seems to be doing a great job. The economy is doing fine,” said George Yang, an engineer.
