“Land” was once a ritual during reporting trips. Baggage claim area. Rent a large SUV.
But two advances have made a welcome alternative possible.
Advances in technology have made cameras and editing crates smaller. Another is Uber.
Without the need for a car, my colleagues and I carpooled to Howard University in Washington this week to attend the election night celebration that never happened and the solemn concession speech that did happen.
That’s when I looked out at the stunned crowd, many of them students in tears, and started thinking about my Uber ride. More specifically, Uber drivers.
They were definitely “working class.” None had a college degree. Most were immigrants. All were people of color.
And everyone voted for Donald Trump.
Kabir, who is from India, was overjoyed. Part of that was $200 he won on election bets, and the other was on the candidate who beat him in the bet.
As we drove through unexpected road closures around Howard University, Kabir called Harris a “charlatan” and said he loved Trump as an ally of “the little guy.”
He also said there were more rides and more revenue during President Trump’s first term.
And there were palms from Cuba. He said business was much better under the Trump administration than under Biden.
Iaci also worried that Democrats were too sympathetic to his escape.
“Democrats don’t know socialism. It’s evil,” Iasi said.
Abal was from Ethiopia.
My accent was so thick that I had to repeat my answer several times. One word is clear: gender.
Abal was angry at the public school his children attended. He did not elaborate on the policy, but it appears to be similar to a new law in California that allows schools to separate children from parents when they change pronouns or gender identity. At one point he turned to me and frowned.
“Parents know their children better than the school. They are my children.” Not theirs. ”
The last one was Dominic, a retired DC Metro bus driver. The father of four children with the black man said with a charming laugh that Trump was his man.
“I had to think about my kids. Your kids are your future. Your future. My wife and I don’t vote for ourselves, we vote for them.”
And that future was better with Trump, he said. In addition to expressing hope that the economy would improve, he felt that Manhattan’s billionaires valued people who worked with their hands.
When asked about the Democratic candidates, he just smiled.
On Wednesday night, as the sun set on the Harris campaign’s last hurray, I spoke with some of the frustrated people who had arrived the day before, full of hope. No one could understand what happened.
When they started searching for apps on their smartphones, I wanted to offer some riding advice.
Please talk to the driver.
