WASHINGTON (AP) — Large crowds of protesters marched and rallied in cities across the United States on Saturday to “ No kings » demonstrations denouncing what participants see as the government’s rapid drift toward authoritarianism under President Donald Trump.
People carrying signs with slogans such as “Nothing is more patriotic than protesting” or “Resist fascism” gathered in New York’s Times Square and gathered by the thousands in parks in Boston, Atlanta and Chicago. Protesters marched through Washington and downtown Los Angeles and demonstrated outside several Republican-led state capitols, a courthouse in Billings, Montana, and in hundreds of small public spaces.
Trump’s Republican Party denigrated the protests “Hate America” ralliesbut in many places the events were more like a street party. There were marching bands, huge banners with the preamble to the US Constitution “We The People” that people could sign, and protesters wearing inflatable costumes, particularly frogs, which became a sign of resistance in Portland, Oregon.
It was the third mass mobilization since Trump’s return to the White House and is part of a context of government shutdown which not only closed the federal doors programs and services but challenges the fundamental balance of power, as an aggressive executive confronts Congress and the Courts in a way that protest organizers say constitutes a slide toward authoritarianism.
In Washington, Iraq War Marine veteran Shawn Howard said he had never participated in a protest before but was motivated to show up because of what he sees as the Trump administration’s “disregard for the law.” He said immigration detentions without due process and troop deployments in American cities are “un-American” and are alarming signs of the erosion of democracy.
“I fought for freedom and against this type of extremism overseas,” said Howard, who added that he also worked at the CIA for 20 years on counter-extremism operations. “And now I see a moment in America where we have extremists everywhere who, in my opinion, are pushing us into some kind of civil conflict.”
Meanwhile, Trump was spending the weekend at his home in Mar-a-Lago, Florida.
“They say they consider me a king. I’m not a king,” the president said in an interview broadcast on Fox News Friday, before leaving for a $1 million-a-plate MAGA Inc. fundraiser at his club.
A Trump campaign social media account mocked the protests by posting a computer-generated video of the president dressed as a monarch, wearing a crown and waving from a balcony.
Nationwide protests
In San Francisco, hundreds of people chanted “No King!” » and other sentences with their bodies on Ocean Beach. Hayley Wingard, who was dressed as the Statue of Liberty, said she too had never participated in a protest before. Only recently did she begin to view Trump as a “dictator.”
“I actually agreed with everything until I found out that the military invasion in Los Angeles, Chicago and Portland – Portland bothered me the most, because I’m from Portland, and I don’t want an army in my cities. It’s scary,” Wingard said.
Tens of thousands of people gathered in Portland for a peaceful protest downtown. Later in the day, tensions rose when a few hundred protesters and counterprotesters showed up outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building, with federal agents at times firing tear gas to disperse the crowds and city police threatening arrests if demonstrators blocked the streets.
The building was the site of most small nocturnal events since June – the Trump administration’s stated reason for attempting to deploy National Guard troops to Portland, which a federal judge has at least temporarily blocked.
About 3,500 people gathered in Salt Lake City outside the Utah State Capitol to share messages of hope and healing after a a protester was shot during the city’s first “No Kings” march in June.
And more than 1,500 people gathered in Birmingham, Alabama, discussing the city’s history of protests and the pivotal role it played in the civil rights movement two generations ago.
“I feel like we live in an America that I don’t recognize,” said Jessica Yother, a mother of four. She and other protesters said they felt camaraderie while gathering in a state where Trump won nearly 65% of the vote last November.
“It was so encouraging,” Yother said. “I walked in and thought, ‘These are my people.’”
Organizers hope to build an opposition movement
“Large gatherings like this give confidence to people who have been staying apart but are willing to speak out,” Democratic U.S. Senator Chris Murphy said in an interview with The Associated Press.
While the protests at the beginning of the year… against Elon Musk’s budget cuts and that of Trump military parade — has drawn crowds, organizers say it unites the opposition. Prominent Democrats such as the Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and the independent senator. Bernie Sanders are joining in what organizers see as an antidote to Trump’s actions, from the administration’s crackdown on free speech to his military raids on immigration.
More than 2,600 rallies were planned for Saturday, organizers said. This spring’s nationwide march against Trump and Musk had 1,300 registered locations, while the first “No Kings” day in June had 2,100 registered.
“We are here because we love America,” Sanders said, addressing the crowd from a stage in Washington. He said the American experiment was “in danger” under Trump, but insisted “we, the people, will govern.”
Republican critics denounce protests
Republicans have sought to portray the protesters as being removed from the mainstream and this is one of the main reasons for their government shutdownnow in its 18th day.
From the White House to the Capitol, Republican leaders called them “communists” and “Marxists”. They said Democratic leaders, including Schumer, were beholden to the far left and willing to keep the government shut down to appease liberal forces.
“I encourage you to watch – we call it the Hate America rally – which will take place on Saturday,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson from Louisiana.
“Let’s see who runs for this,” Johnson said, listing groups including “antifa types,” people who “hate capitalism” and “Marxists on full display.”
Many protesters, in response, said they responded to such hyperbole with humor, noting that Trump often relies heavily on theater, such as claiming that the cities where he sends troops are war zones.
“So much of what we’ve seen from this administration is so unserious and stupid that we need to respond with the same energy,” said Glen Kalbaugh, a protester from Washington who wore a wizard’s hat and held a sign with a frog on it.
The New York Police Department reported no arrests during the protests.
Democrats are trying to regain their footing despite confinement
Democrats have refused to pass legislation that would reopen the government while demanding health care funding. Republicans say they are ready to discuss the issue later, only after the government reopens.
The situation represents a potential turnaround from just six months ago, when Democrats and their allies were divided and dispirited. Schumer in particular was chastised by his party for allowing a previous government funding bill to pass the Senate without using it to challenge Trump.
“What we’re seeing from Democrats is some backbone,” said Ezra Levin, co-founder of Indivisible, a key organizing group. “The worst thing Democrats can do right now is surrender.”
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Associated Press reporters Lisa Mascaro and Kevin Freking in Washington, Jill Colvin and Joseph Frederick in New York, Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina, Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City, Terry Chea in San Francisco, Chris Megerian in West Palm Beach, Fla., and Bill Barrow in Birmingham, Alabama, contributed.
