Protests against Trump “no kings”

To protest the direction the country is heading under President Donald Trump, people will gather Saturday in the nation’s capital and in communities across the United States for “No Kings” demonstrations — what the president’s Republican Party calls “Hate America” ​​rallies.

This is the third mass mobilization since Trump’s return to the White House and is expected to be the largest. It comes against the backdrop of a government shutdown that has not only shut down federal programs and services but is also testing the balance of power as an aggressive executive takes on Congress and the courts in a way that organizers say constitutes a slide toward American authoritarianism.

Trump himself is far from Washington, at his home in Mar-a-Lago, Florida.

“They say they consider me a king. I’m not a king,” Trump said in a Fox News interview that aired Friday morning, before leaving for a $1 million-a-plate MAGA Inc. super PAC fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago. Protests are expected next Saturday.

While previous protests this year — against Elon Musk’s budget cuts in the spring and then to counter Trump’s military parade in June — drew crowds, organizers say this one is building a more unified opposition party movement. Prominent Democrats such as Senate Leader Chuck Schumer and independent Sen. Bernie Sanders are joining in what organizers see as an antidote to Trump’s actions, from the administration’s crackdown on free speech to its military raids on immigration.

“There is no greater threat to authoritarian rule than patriotic people power,” said Ezra Levin, co-founder of Indivisible, one of the lead organizers.

While Republicans and the White House view the protests as a gathering of radicals, Levin said their own registration numbers are growing. More than 2,600 rallies are planned in cities large and small, organized by hundreds of coalition partners. They said rallies were planned within an hour’s drive for most Americans.

Republicans have sought to portray participants in Saturday’s rallies as far removed from the mainstream of American politics and one of the main reasons for the prolonged government shutdown, now in its 18th day.

From the White House to the Capitol, GOP leaders denigrated protesters as “communists” and “Marxists.”

They say Democratic leaders, including Schumer, are 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, R-La.

“Let’s see who runs for this,” Johnson said, listing groups including “antifa types,” people who “hate capitalism” and “Marxists on full display.”

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.

But for many Democrats, shutting down the government is also a way to stand up to Trump and try to return the presidency to its place in the American system as a co-equal branch of government.

In a Facebook post, Vermont’s Sanders, himself a former presidential candidate, said, “This is a rally for the love of America.”

“This is a coming together of millions of people across the country who believe in our Constitution, who believe in American freedom and,” he said, pointing to Republican Party leaders, “will not let you and Donald Trump turn this country into an authoritarian society.”

The situation represents a potential turnaround from just six months ago, when Democrats and their allies were divided and discouraged, unsure how best to respond to Trump’s return to the White House. 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.

As of April, the nationwide march against Trump and Elon Musk had 1,300 registered locations. In June, for the first “No Kings” day, 2,100 locations were registered. Saturday’s march will have more than 2,600 registered locations, Levin said.

“What we see from Democrats is courage,” Levin said. “The worst thing Democrats can do right now is surrender.”

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said he was unsure whether to join the protesters Saturday, but he disputed Republicans’ description of the events.

“What’s hateful is what happened on January 6,” he said, referring to the 2021 attack on the Capitol, as Trump supporters stormed the building to protest Joe Biden’s election victory. “What you will see this weekend is what patriotism looks like, people coming forward to express their opposition to the extremism that Donald Trump is unleashing on the American people.”