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Opinion  

In tears over Trump

A funeral atmosphere has taken hold in government offices in the U.S. capital, where numerous federal employees describe mournful, even tearful, scenes among dejected co-workers commiserating about Donald Trump's impending presidency.

Employees — speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals — shared anecdotes about the sorrowful reaction in multiple departments to Trump's win last month, and their own feelings about what comes next.

One employee said she'd cried on her way to work that morning — and wasn't the only one weeping in her office.

"I have seen so many tears. From the top down," said the woman, who works on international initiatives and fears the incoming president's derisive cracks about foreign nation-building mean the U.S. might scale down its foreign engagement.

"I've seen supervisors addressing staff — crying.... It's their life's work. It's really demoralizing."

Antipathy to the incoming president in the left-leaning national capital is no secret. Trump got just four per cent of the vote in Washington, D.C. Yet that's worse than usual for a Republican — in fact, it's the worst result for any since the district got voting rights in 1964.

There are now internal debates about how to proceed.

The employees who will have to execute the president's orders are having office discussions about staying or leaving government; how to respond to an unethical demand; and whether it's moral or even technically possible to thwart what they consider bad ideas.

Opinions differ.

A man who works in foreign affairs says federal employees are sworn to uphold the Constitution. He said everyone around him is unhappy. But if the democratically elected government asks employees to carry out constitutional orders they have two choices: "You execute. Or you leave."

Lots of career plans are now being second-guessed.

One man said he wasted no time applying for a job outside government. He did it on election night, before going to bed. One woman said she's now a little worried about representing the U.S. abroad, concerned about anti-American hostility.



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