Askold Lozinsky
Cape May Courthouse is a medium-sized town in southern New Jersey near the coast about 150 miles south of New York City. It is the seat of government for Cape May County, where courts and government offices are located. In recent history, it has been a staunch Republican and even MAGA country.
On Saturday, April 5, 2025, a crowd of about 1,000 people gathered on Highway 9 near the corner of Mechanic Street at Cape May Courthouse. They held flags and banners. The flags were American and, oddly enough, Ukrainian. The banners read: “Kill Trump,” “Kill Van Drew,” “We Will Defend Democracy,” “No to Tyranny,” “Save Medicare and Social Security,” and even “Give Me Freedom or Give Me Death.”
I mingled with the crowd, urging them on with the somewhat cynical plea, “It’s Time!” and spoke to two protesters holding Ukrainian flags. I simply asked if they were Ukrainian. In both cases, they said “No,” but added, “We Love Ukraine,” “Ukrainians Protect Us and the World from Tyranny.” I was obviously very proud of this and acknowledged my Ukrainian heritage. They showered me with praise about the courage of the Ukrainian people and the debt the world owed them.
Cape May County supported Donald Trump in the last presidential election by what was considered a landslide, 59% to 41%. Jeff Van Drew, the congressman for New Jersey’s 2nd congressional district, which includes Cape May County, defeated his Democratic rival 58% to 42%. As noted, he was also the subject of scorn.
Van Drew has never voted for aid to Ukraine and is considered one of the most scheming members of Congress. I once visited his only office in New Jersey. Since then, I have written to him many times with only a pro forma response. I have asked for a meeting, but there has been no response. He is also an unprincipled renegade, once a Democrat like his hero Trump. To be honest, I shouldn’t criticize him for that, since I am now a registered Republican in his district.
I went to the public library, located about two hundred meters from the corner, where many of the protesters had gathered. As I reached for The New York Times, I said to myself, “Let’s see what else this idiot has done.” To be honest, I often speak my mind. It gets more frequent as I get older. A man about my age asked me what kind of idiot I was referring to. He then admitted that he was a Trump supporter, and although he didn’t participate in the protest, he was proud to be an American because people can protest here. I told him that authoritarian countries like Turkey have protests against dictatorial President Erdogan, so America isn’t that special.
After a brief conversation, including my lesson on Trump’s education level and Fred and Donald’s sordid real estate past in New York, he admitted that he had been watching the protest and wasn’t exactly sure where he was. He admitted that Trump’s first 75 days had been worrying him. He also admitted that his own wife and daughter were among the protesters.
Such protests are taking place not only across America, but all over the world. Job losses, inflation due to rising tariffs, the collapse of the stock market due to all this, and uncertainty about the future have made Donald Trump a global and national pariah. Bad economic policies, arrogance, circumvention of the Constitution and other branches of government have made Trump the least popular American president of the modern era. Resistance to tyranny is a formula that has been used for centuries. For me, unlike most Americans who have suffered greatly from the essentially evil (it can’t just be stupid) Trump economy, there is a much, even more important consolation. The American people have not forgotten and continue to support and even applaud Ukraine and the Ukrainian people.
