The Empire State Building lit up in vivid red overnight to mark Donald Trump’s victories in pivotal swing states, including North Carolina and Georgia. This decision stirred an intense backlash from Democrats, who accused the iconic New York City landmark of “celebrating the end of democracy.”
The well-known New York skyscraper first glowed red between 11:22 p.m. and 11:27 p.m., after Trump’s win in North Carolina was officially announced.
“We will be sparkling red for the next 5 minutes,” stated the Empire State Building’s official X account.
At 1 a.m., the landmark turned red once more as news broke of Trump’s success in Georgia.
In posts on social media, the Empire State Building clarified that it would alternate between blue and red for five minutes each time one of the seven key swing states declared a winner up until 2 a.m.
Although the building only illuminated twice—once for each win in North Carolina and Georgia—by 5:30 a.m. when the election results became more conclusive, some Democrats, already troubled by Vice President Kamala Harris’ lackluster showing in New York City, voiced their disapproval of the display.
“Celebrating the end to Democracy. Wow,” one person scoffed.
Another Twitter user angrily wrote, “THIS STUPID F—ING ACCOUNT YOU’RE LITERALLY IN NEW YORK.”
A third added, “May Zeus himself strike this building down.”
The landmark received additional criticism, with one individual stating, “Wow, now I even hate the Empire State Building.”
The Empire State Building’s account later issued a reminder to address the outrage, emphasizing that the light displays were pre-scheduled to reflect the swing states’ results.
“As a reminder, we will be sparkling for all battleground state calls from the Associated Press,” the account clarified in a follow-up message.
{Matzav.com}