³ÉÈËXÕ¾

SEATTLE NEWS ARCHIVES & FEATURES

Michael Medved: No, actually, this is what democracy looks like

Jan 20, 2017, 2:48 PM | Updated: 7:19 pm

democracy looks like...

Protesters in Seattle march through the streets after Donald Trump's inauguration. (³ÉÈËXÕ¾ 7)

(³ÉÈËXÕ¾ 7)

Inauguration Day has been good to Donald Trump. Not just because he was sworn in as president of the United States, but also because people are protesting him. According to Conservative commentator Michael Medved, even protesters are good for Trump. Between the opposition and the inauguration, it also boils down to an example of what democracy looks like — and what it doesn’t.

Related: Seattle filled with multiple anti-Trump protests

“There is one thing I know for sure about Donald Trump,” Medved said. “In his business, in his personal life, in his political career, he has a habit. It is a very useful habit for a politician. It’s a habit of converting obstacles into advantages.”

“At this moment, Trump has a huge advantage,” he said. “There are morons out in the street. There are sincere people in the street, too. But I don’t think sincere people throw rocks at police officers, vandalize cars and smash windows, all the while chanting ‘This is what democracy looks like.’ No, it’s not.”

“This is good news for Trump … aren’t they helping Trump?” he added. “… low expectations work for Trump, because he turns obstacles into advantages. He’s doing it again.”

What democracy looks like

Medved has been a critic of Trump since he first began his run for the presidency. And even leading up to the inauguration, he had his doubts about the man. But he was pleased, even inspired as events unfolded on Jan. 20.

“Honestly, I wasn’t expecting this because Trump is Trump,” Medved said. “… this is a very good start.”

If there is a good example of what democracy looks like, Medved said it was at a lunch with Trump and congressional leaders on Inauguration Day. Various leaders, Democrats and Republicans, made statements.

“You know who spoke well?” Medved said. “Nancy Pelosi spoke well, and honored the new president and vice president. Chuck Schumer spoke well. Paul Ryan spoke exceptionally well.”

Finally, the mic was turned over to Donald Trump. His remarks were brief, but Medved said it was “such a good sign.”

Trump said:

There is something that I wanted to say. I was very honored, very honored when I heard that president Bill Clinton and Secretary Hillary Clinton were coming today. I’d like you to stand up. I’d like you to stand up (motioning to the Clintons). There’s nothing more I can say, because I have a lot of respect for those two people. Thank you all for being here. We are going to have four great years, hopefully of peace and prosperity … We all want the same thing. We are all good people. Whether you are a Republican or a Democrat, doesn’t make any difference. We are going to get along.

“The applause for President Clinton and Secretary Clinton when they stood up, both of them were beaming,” Medved noted. “Obviously, it was meaningful to them – the applause went on for several minutes. It was thunderous.”

“This is what Democracy looks like,” he said. “Hard fought election. Serious issues. And now a new president, and a new Congress get together to make a real start on making the country better.”

A car burns during a protest in Compton, Calif., Saturday, June 7, 2025, after federal immigration ...

Associated Press

US-Immigration-Raids-Los Angeles-Photo-Gallery

Tear gas was fired at protesters in Los Angeles when some demonstrators moved close to National Guard troops and police and shouted insults at them. President Donald Trump deployed the Guard after protests erupted when federal immigration authorities arrested dozens of people across the city. ___ This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo […]

2 hours ago

Law enforcement stand during a protest in Compton, Calif., Saturday, June 7, 2025, after federal im...

Associated Press

After tear gas and street fires, an Los Angeles community cleans up as National Guard troops arrive

COMPTON, Calif. (AP) — Ernest Melendrez woke up early Sunday to shovel tear gas pellets and other charred and broken detritus from his neighborhood’s streets, the remnants of a battle between protesters demonstrating against immigration raids and federal and local authorities the night before. Melendrez wore a mask covering his nose and mouth, but he […]

4 hours ago

Bella Bautista, 22, a trans woman from Cartersville, Ga., walks past the U.S. Capitol after attendi...

Associated Press

PHOTO ESSAY: A young trans woman’s journey, and her latest destination: World Pride in Washington

WASHINGTON (AP) — As they get ready in their hotel room, Bella Bautista trades makeup tips with the roommate she has just met. Bautista, her cheekbones high and her confidence glowing, asks her roommate to curl her highlighted hair in the back. Jae Douglas obliges cheerfully. Bautista, 22, is a college cheerleader turned pageant contestant. […]

4 hours ago

fiery crash engine vehicle olympia...

Tom Brock

Fiery crash near Olympia rips engine from vehicle

A man crashed his car with such force in Thurston County Friday night, that the engine was ripped away from the vehicle.

6 hours ago

Associated Press

Who is Colombian Sen. Miguel Uribe Turbay who was shot during a campaign rally in Bogota?

Conservative Colombian Sen. Miguel Uribe Turbay was shot and seriously injured during a campaign rally in the capital, Bogota. The brazen attack captured on video shook a nation that decades ago regularly saw kidnappings and killings of politicians and high profile people. Uribe Turbay, 39, who has announced he intends to run for president next […]

6 hours ago

Haitian art is displayed on a wall as a man practices dance moves for a father-daughter performance...

Associated Press

Trump’s new travel ban set to take effect amid escalating tension over immigration enforcement

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s new ban on travel to the U.S. by citizens from 12 mainly African and Middle Eastern countries is set to take effect Monday amid escalating tension over the president’s unprecedented campaign of immigration enforcement. The new proclamation, which Trump signed on Wednesday, applies to citizens of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, […]

6 hours ago

Michael Medved: No, actually, this is what democracy looks like