Leonid Goldin | Welcome Home, my President!

Thus says Cyrus, king of Persia: God has given me all the kingdoms of the earth,                        

and He has commanded me to build Him a house in Jerusalem.
Ezra 1:1—Cyrus’s Decree

In my neighborhood in Manhattan, hellish traffic is no rarity. Nearby are the UN, embassies, missions, consulates, frequent hysterical protests and demonstrations, and crowds of tourists. These are the charms of freedom and urbanization—a vivid picture of the state of minds, hearts, and relationships. Some see evidence of democracy and progress; others see chaos and a slide toward catastrophe.

Donald Trump’s presidency has greatly intensified these passions and their manifestations. The “No Kings” movement emerged: “In 1776, America got rid of the king; we will not allow a new autocrat.” Last year, on Trump’s birthday, the first “No Kings Day” took place in 2,000 cities, drawing more than 5 million participants. In March 2026, there were more than 3,000 protests across fifty states, with about 9 million participants. The largest demonstrations took place in New York.

Protest slogans included: “Power belongs to the people, not to kings and billionaires.” The goal is to establish social democracy, not a corporate plutocracy. This movement has no connection to Marxism-Leninism; instead of a worldwide proletarian revolution, it advocates a global intifada. The tone is set by representatives of ethnic minorities—mainly recent immigrants—who are trying to adapt America to their culture and values, as well as by young people raised on liberal ideology.

It is believed that the organizers of the protests are not Democrats but rather a nonpartisan network. However, the leading roles are played by former Democratic Party staffers, a married couple with telling names: Leah Greenberg and Ezra Levin—try to guess what their background and lineage are. They live in Washington, are well-educated, and are the authors of *The Guide to Resisting Trump*. The press ranks them among the world’s most influential politicians. The movement includes over a million activists and 5,000 local chapters.

Trump, though he may appear to be a pagan from the outside, behaves like a true Christian—“Love your enemies,” the “Sermon on the Mount” in Galilee is in his heart. Jews are at the forefront of his enemies; they vote against him, write libels, and curse him in Reform synagogues, yet he is Israel’s only friend and is doing everything possible to curb anti-Semitism in America.

The Jews are showing incredible ingratitude, but Trump, like the great martyr Stephen, who was stoned to death for preaching for the salvation of Israel, says: “Lord! Do not hold this sin against them!” and continues, in the face of monstrous pressure and to his own detriment, to support Israel and defend the Jewish people.

Thanks to the mainstream media and Democratic propaganda, anti-Trump movements are in the public eye and on everyone’s lips. The impression is created that they reflect the mood of the entire country. This impression is false.

There are powerful movements in support of the president. MAGA—a solid core of about 40 million people. Slogans: “Take America Back,” “Stop the Steal”—the stolen election. At Turning Points USA—Charlie Kirk—there are about 900 campuses and 300,000 activists. After Kirk’s murder, donations to the organization tripled.

Chris Cox organized the group Bikers for Trump in 2015. Tough guys in leather jackets and boots, sporting Trump emblems. The group provided security at rallies in support of Trump. Chris Cox says: “If there’s anyone here from ‘Antifa’ or ‘Black Lives Matter,’ aim your first f…ing bullet at my chest.”; “People look at me as if I were a Russian with an assault rifle when they see that I support Trump… I get a lot of death threats.”

In New York, the progressives give the impression that all of America is yearning to be saved from the dictatorship of the hated Trump. But Texas, Ohio, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Kansas, Nebraska, Idaho, West Virginia, and many others are powerful strongholds of the pro-Trump movement. The example of New York and other cities, where progressives are marching triumphantly, helps us understand what’s happening. People are witnessing the shocking consequences of radical rule: cultural transformation, the loss of values, and the destruction of the way of life.

One indicator of the situation in the city is Trump’s apartment on Fifth Avenue. It is one of the centers of anti-Trump protests. But at the same time, crowds of people from across America and other countries gather here to see the home of the ruler of the universe, the great and mighty Trump, who has turned the world and public consciousness upside down. Every emotion, every state of the human soul is on display here: surprise, amazement, admiration, envy, fear, hatred, bewilderment…

When the president comes to New York, he drives past my building  on the way from the airport. It’s always an impressive sight; Trump knows how to present himself to the city and the world.

Every year, security measures become more intense. Metal barriers have been erected, and the police presence has increased significantly. Assassination attempts against Trump, terrorist threats from Iran, fierce clashes between government agencies and opponents of the deportation of undocumented immigrants, and the general mass hysteria surrounding every word and action of the president are forcing the implementation of extraordinary measures.

America spends about 500 billion a year on security. (Not including Pentagon spending.) Spending on presidential security has doubled over the past 15 years. Security for the World Cup cost 2 billion from the budget and 1 billion in federal grants. This is the highest level in history.

Recently, Trump attended the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden; at the entrance, he was met by protesters chanting obscene slogans, and the hall were filled with shouting and whistling; Trump left before the game ended. There was resistance to the police, and arrests were made.

When Trump arrived in New York to attend the World Cup final ceremony, a fence was erected along the entire length of 56th Street—the route taken by the presidential motorcade. Security was provided by thousands of police officers, hundreds of special services vehicles and motorcycles, and total electronic surveillance. Fifty federal agencies were involved.

I have never seen security measures on this scale. Fighter jets, helicopters, drones, robots capable of detecting the scent of explosives, and thousands of facial recognition cameras. The airspace over New York was closed, and flights were banned. Traffic at intersections along the route was halted.

But as I stood near the police cordon while the presidential motorcade approached, I thought about the fact that there are 533 million privately owned firearms in America—far more than the number of citizens. And there are more than enough crazy and half-crazy people obsessed with hatred for Trump. A suicide bomber could have been nearby; an armored car would have withstood the attack, but there would have been casualties. In Iran, Gaza, and Lebanon, there would have been great jubilation, and even in New York, there would have been those cheering. Let’s recall the reports from New Jersey on September 11.

Large crowds gathered at the barriers; the police were friendly and happily posed for photos with New Yorkers and visitors to the city. My life partner spent her career on stage and happily posed arm-in-arm with the police officers in the familiar first position of ballet. She always saw Trump as a colleague—a talented showman and choreographer who puts on performances for millions, someone who understands how to connect with an audience without having studied under Stanislavski or Balanchine.

A neighbor in our building had been waiting a long time for Trump with a video camera; when I referred to Trump simply as “Trump” in conversation with her, she reacted sharply: “President Trump!” I readily agreed, apologized, and, trying to justify myself, said that I had received a thank-you letter from Trump. We were satisfied with each other.

But in many cases, there’s no point in talking about tolerance and harmony. Even family ties and long-standing friendships can fall victim to one’s worldview. When it comes to which country people want to live in—and which has no place for them—compromise is unattainable.

This was Trump’s calmest visit to New York during his presidency. I walked from York Avenue to 5th Avenue and saw perfectly normal people in a friendly mood. I didn’t encounter any widespread clinical manifestations of “Trump-derangement syndrome.” Perhaps all is not yet lost.

The 77 million for Trump and the 75 million against him will neither outargue nor convince one another. But there is one fact that no one can dispute: Trump has changed the world in terms of both will and perception. Let me explain for those who haven’t read Schopenhauer. He has changed the American will and perception of the world order and the limits of what is possible.

I think Trump, the grandson of Friedrich Drampf, of Bavarian descent, did not study the German philosophers of the post-Kantian irrational voluntarist school, but he thinks and acts with the firm conviction that it is America’s role to set the sun and the stars in motion—a role it cannot abandon, even if it wanted to. He has created “momentum,” and the world has changed; it will never return to the stagnation and decline of the gerontocratic eras of Brezhnev and Biden or the innovative experiments of Gorbachev and Obama.

Trump is not a cunning politician, nor is he a diplomat in the Machiavellian mold. He is rough, direct, unmasked, and speaks his mind, even when it works against him. In Russian history, he is akin to Peter the Great. He strikes with a backhand. He shattered the deep state, just as Peter shattered the boyar elite. He forced the world to see and acknowledge the greatness of his country and his power. Both were builders with grand projects; in America, this social type is called “Builders, Movers, and Shakers.”

I find another parallel more fitting: Trump is sometimes compared to the Persian pagan king Cyrus the Great. Cyrus made his country the sole superpower. It was the America of that era, dictating to the world the terms of existence and behavior. Cyrus was the first globalist, but in his global world, Persia was indisputably first and foremost. Befriend Persia, and you will be rich and prosperous. Resist it, and you will die.

Cyrus freed the Jews from Babylonian captivity and funded the rebuilding of the Temple. In the Torah, he is the only non-Jew referred to as the anointed one and messenger of God. God spoke directly to Cyrus, just as He did to Moses and the prophets, calling him the executor of His will. Isaiah and Ezra speak of Cyrus with the utmost respect, placing him on the same level as King David. In the Talmud, he is called the righteous one of the nations of the world. When Trump moved the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem in 2018, the rabbis presented him with Cyrus’s Declaration. The symbolism is clear—Trump is our Cyrus today.

To this day, the Persians call Cyrus the father of the nation. A shocking question arises: why has Iran, the heir to Persia, become Israel’s existential enemy? The nation remains, but its ideology has changed. Until 1949, Iran was a friend of Israel. Mohammad Pahlavi considered himself the heir to Cyrus. In Iran, Jews lived in freedom and prosperity. America helped overthrow the Shah. The Khomeini regime elevated hatred of Israel to a cult: “the great Satan” is America, and “the little Satan” is Israel—both are necessary to maintain power and justify all the misfortunes of a country enslaved by fanatics.

Iran preserves the memory of Cyrus. For Iranian youth and women, America and Israel represent a model of a free life and hope for the future. Trump is trying to bring that future closer.

Cyrus’s empire stretched from India to Greece, yet he was called not a conqueror but a liberator. Within his own country, he had almost no opponents. It is more difficult for Trump. His battlefield is the entire world, and the war against the Deep State is more dangerous to him than external challenges.

A favorite quote and motto among Trump’s religious supporters: “No weapon formed against you shall prosper.”—Isaiah 54:17. Amen, so be it, may it come to pass.