Downtrodden D.C.: In federal offices, tears and sadness about working for Trump
WASHINGTON — A funereal 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.