You are reading

Trump Has 74 Days Left in Office According to Long Island City Countdown Clock

President Donald Trump and the countdown clock in Long Island City (The White House and Michael Dorgan, Queens Post)

Nov. 6, 2020 By Michael Dorgan

A large digital clock on the Long Island City waterfront makes it clear that President Donald Trump’s days are numbered.

The clock located by Anable Basin has been counting down the days until Trump’s term in office comes to an end–and for many residents that day can’t come soon enough.

The timepiece was put up on the front of Sound River Studios, located at 4-40 44th Dr., more than three years ago by Matthew Barney, who operates out of the building, along with fellow artists such as Brandon Stosuy.

The clock features bright red lights that display the days and hours until the next U.S. presidential inauguration. The digits can be seen from across the East River and from the northern end of Gantry Plaza State Park.

The meaning of the timepiece has left some residents baffled because it stands alone without any explainer of what the numbers mean.

“All this time I just thought it was some doomsday clock or project,” said Michael Russinik, a Long Island City resident, who was looking at the clock today from Gantry Plaza State Park.

“But hearing that now makes complete sense that someone would put that here in Long Island City,” Russinik said. He then quipped: “I don’t think it’s going fast enough, I look forward to that date.”

Trump first-term presidency countdown clock (Michael Dorgan, Queens Post)

Although Trump is from Queens, the majority of voters in the borough did not support him in 2016 nor on Tuesday. According to unofficial election results, only 30 percent of residents voted for him on Nov. 3.

Two voters, Greg Schaffert and Eileen Coyne, a Long Island City couple who backed Joe Biden, said they have eagerly watched the clock for over a year.

The couple, who were in the Gantry Plaza State Park today, said that they had celebrated countdown milestones.

“I remember when it was at 300 and we celebrated–and when it hit 200 and then 100,” Schaffert said. “It was 78 on election day.”

Coyne said that the clock reflects the animosity that many residents have toward the president. She said that the artists did a good job in conveying the message without making the clock too imposing.

“I like that it’s not too in-your-face, it’s just subtle,” she said.

The clock, however, symbolizes much more than a repudiation of the president, according to Raghu Govindan, an Indian tourist who was in Long Island City today.

He said that its existence shows that America is about freedom of speech.

“A democracy like the United States provides freedom of expression to all kinds of thoughts and this is an expression of one belief,” Govindan said.

“That’s what makes America a great country because it allows people to express themselves whether they are for the party or against the party in government, it doesn’t matter.”

Trump’s presidency countdown clock (Michael Dorgan, Queens Post)

email the author: news@queenspost.com
No comments yet

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Ridgewood mother and daughter arrested for attacking woman over parking spot: NYPD

A Ridgewood mother and daughter were arrested Monday after they ambushed a young Black woman who tried to park her car in a spot in front of their apartment building that they frequently cordon off with garbage cans and traffic cones.

A family friend was standing at the northeast corner of Onderdonk Avenue and Putnam Avenue at around 7:30 p.m. when the 21-year-old Jada McPherson tried to park her car in the spot. The man placed a garbage can in her way. She drove off and circled the block multiple times. She tried to pull into the same spot one more time, but the man tried to stop her again. McPherson got out of her car to confront him, and an argument ensued.

Man in his 50s sought for exposing himself to 13-year-old on E train in Forest Hills: NYPD

Police from the 112th Precinct in Forest Hills and Transit District 20 are looking for a suspect who allegedly flashed a 13-year-old girl on a Queens subway train last month.

The victim was riding a southbound E train approaching the Kew Gardens-Union Turnpike station at around 1 p.m. on Monday, June 30, when she saw a stranger exposing himself to her, police said Wednesday. The perpetrator ran off the train at the Kew Gardens-Union Turnpike station and fled in an unknown direction. The youngster was not injured during her encounter with the stranger.