Trump’s Republican Party disparaged the demonstrations as “Hate America” rallies, but in many places the events looked more like a street party.
Nationwide demonstrations In San Francisco hundreds of people spelled out “No King!” and other phrases with their bodies on Ocean Beach.
The national march against Trump and Musk this spring had 1,300 registered locations, while the first “No Kings” day in June registered 2,100.
The situation is a potential turnaround from just six months ago, when Democrats and their allies were divided and despondent.
Schumer in particular was berated by his party for allowing an earlier government funding bill to sail through the Senate without using it to challenge Trump.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Protesters gathered in large numbers in cities throughout the United States to march and rally. A. Saturday for “No Kings” protests, which condemn what demonstrators believe to be President Donald Trump’s rapid slide into authoritarianism.
Thousands of people gathered in Boston, Atlanta, and Chicago parks, and people carrying signs with slogans like “Nothing is more patriotic than protesting” or “Resist Fascism” crowded into Times sq\. in New York City. Protesters picketed outside the capitols of several Republican-led states, a courthouse in Billings, Montana, and hundreds of other public locations. They marched through downtown Los Angeles and Washington.
The protests appeared more like a street party in many locations, despite Trump’s Republican Party denouncing them as “Hate America” rallies. There were massive banners with the U and marching bands. S. People could sign the Constitution’s “We the People” preamble, and protesters in Portland, Oregon, were dressed in inflatable costumes—especially frogs, which have become a symbol of resistance.
The third large-scale rally since Trump’s return to the White House took place against the backdrop of a government shutdown that has shut down federal programs and services and is putting the fundamental balance of power to the test as an aggressive executive takes on Congress and the courts in ways protest organizers fear are a step toward authoritarianism.
Shawn Howard, an Iraq War Marine veteran in Washington, said he had never taken part in a protest before but was inspired to do so by what he perceives to be the Trump administration’s “disregard for the law.”. “Immigration detentions without due process and troop deployments in the U.S. S. . Cities exhibit concerning indications of undermining democracy and are “un-American.”.
Howard added that he spent 20 years working on counter-extremism operations at the CIA and that he “fought for freedom and against this kind of extremism abroad.”. I now envision a time in American history when extremists are present everywhere and, in my opinion, are driving us toward civil war. “”.
Meanwhile, Trump was at his Florida home in Mar-a-Lago for the weekend.
They claim that they are calling me a king. Before leaving for a $1 million-per-plate MAGA Inc. event, the president stated, “I’m not a king,” in an early Friday Fox News interview. at his club as a fundraiser.
Trump’s campaign social media account made fun of the demonstrations by sharing a computer-generated video of the president waving from a balcony while dressed like a king or queen.
nationwide protests.
On Ocean Beach in San Francisco, hundreds of people used their bodies to spell out “No King!” and other phrases. Although she was dressed as the Statue of Liberty, Hayley Wingard admitted that she had never attended a protest before. She didn’t start seeing Trump as a “dictator” until recently. “”.
Actually, I didn’t mind anything until I discovered that the military invasions in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Portland bothered me the most. I’m from Portland, and I don’t want the military in my cities. “That’s frightening,” Wingard remarked.
Portland’s downtown saw a nonviolent protest with tens of thousands of participants. When several hundred protesters and counterprotesters arrived at a U.S. rally later in the day, tensions increased. S. City police threatened to make arrests if protesters blocked streets, and federal agents occasionally used tear gas to disperse the crowd outside the Immigration and Customs enforcement building.
Since June, the building has been the destination of primarily minor nightly demonstrations, which the Trump administration has used as justification for attempting to send National Guard troops to Portland, a move that a federal judge has at least temporarily halted.
Following the fatal shooting of a protester during the city’s inaugural “No Kings” march in June, roughly 3,500 people gathered in Salt Lake City outside the Utah State Capitol to exchange messages of healing and hope.
In Birmingham, Alabama, over 1,500 people came together, recalling the city’s protest past and its pivotal role in the Civil Rights Movement two generations prior.
According to Jessica Yother, a mother of four, “it just feels like we’re living in an America that I don’t recognize.”. She and other demonstrators claimed that they felt a sense of solidarity after congregating in a state where Trump received close to 65% of the vote in November of last year.
“It was really motivating,” Yother remarked. “When I entered, I thought, ‘Here are my people.'”. “.”.
Opposition movement building is the organizers’ goal.
“People who have been on the sidelines but are ready to speak up are given confidence by large rallies like this,” Democratic U. S. Sene. Chris Murphy stated in an Associated Press interview.
Although demonstrations against Elon Musk’s cuts and Trump’s military parade attracted large crowds earlier this year, organizers claim that this one is bringing the opposition together. Distinguished Democrats like Independent Senator Chuck Schumer, the Senate Minority Leader. In what organizers see as a counterbalance to Trump’s policies, such as the administration’s military-style immigration raids and restrictions on free speech, Bernie Sanders is signing on.
Organizers said they had more than 2,600 rallies scheduled for Saturday. There were 2,100 registered locations for the first “No Kings” day in June, compared to 1,300 for the nationwide march against Trump and Musk this spring.
Sanders told the crowd from a stage in Washington, “We’re here because we love America.”. The American experiment is “in danger” under Trump, he said, but he emphasized that “we the people will rule.”. “”.
Republicans condemn the protests.
Republicans attempted to portray protesters as being very out of the mainstream and a major factor in the government shutdown, which is currently in its eighteenth day.
Republican leaders referred to them as “communists” and “Marxists” from the White House to Capitol Hill. Democratic leaders, including Schumer, they claimed, are loyal to the far-left and are prepared to keep the government closed in order to please those liberal forces.
“We call it the Hate America rally, and I urge you to watch it this Saturday,” Louisiana House Speaker Mike Johnson said.
Johnson listed groups such as “antifa types,” those who “hate capitalism,” and “Marxists in full display” before saying, “Let’s see who shows up for that.”. “.”.
In response, many protesters said they were responding to such exaggeration with humor, pointing out that Trump frequently uses theatrics, such as saying that the cities he sends troops to are war zones.
“We have to respond with the same energy because so much of what we’ve seen from this administration has been so unserious and silly,” said Glen Kalbaugh, a protester from Washington who was holding a sign featuring a frog and wearing a wizard hat.
During the protests, no arrests were reported by New York police.
Amid the shutdown, Democrats attempt to reestablish themselves.
In their demand for health care funding, Democrats have declined to vote on legislation that would reopen the government. Republicans claim that only after the government reopens will they be open to talking about the matter.
Compared to six months ago, when Democrats and their allies were disillusioned and divided, the current state of affairs could be a turning point. For failing to use it to challenge Trump, Schumer’s party criticized him specifically for letting an earlier government funding bill pass the Senate.
According to Ezra Levin, a co-founder of Indivisible, a significant organizing organization, “what we are seeing from the Democrats is some spine.”. “At this point, the Democrats’ worst option is to give up. “.”
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