Huge crowds took to the streets Saturday in all 50 US states to vent their anger at President Donald Trump’s hard-line policies in “No Kings” protests that Republicans derided as “Hate America” demonstrations.
From New York and Washington to smaller cities in Michigan and Trump’s second home of Florida, protests in the eastern half of the United States have rekindled in anticipation of similar events expected in the West.
More than 2,700 protests are planned from coast to coast, and organizers say they expect millions to attend.
“This is what democracy looks like!” shouted thousands at a protest in Washington near the National Mall, home to the city’s iconic landmarks.
“Hey ho ho, Donald Trump has to go!” said the protesters, many of whom carried American flags.
Protesters have been up in arms over what they see as a powerful weapon since the Republican billionaire returned to the White House in January, including attacks on the media, prosecution of political opponents and a major crackdown on immigration.
The US government shutdown is now in its third week, with the Trump administration furloughing thousands of federal workers and lawmakers showing little sign of being ready to break the deadlock.
Thousands of people flooded New York’s Times Square, Boston Common and Chicago’s Grant Park.
“I never thought I would live to see my country die as a democracy,” said 69-year-old retiree Colleen Hoffman. AFP as it made its way down Broadway.
“We’re in a crisis – the cruelty of this regime, the authoritarianism. I just feel like I can’t sit at home and do nothing.”
In Queens, New York, protesters carried colorful signs that read “Queens Say No to Kings” and “We’re protesting because we love America and we want it back!” while some shouted “We love our country, we can’t stand Trump!”.
In Los Angeles, organizers plan to float a giant Trump balloon in a diaper. They said they expect 100,000 people to attend.
So far, Trump’s response to Saturday’s events has been muted.
“They say they refer to me as a king. I’m not a king,” he said on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures.”
But his top surrogates were in more combative form, with House Speaker Mike Johnson calling the day of protest an “America Hate Rally.”
“You’re going to bring together the Marxists, the socialists, the Antifa supporters, the anarchists and the pro-Hamas wing of the far-left Democratic Party,” he told reporters.
Republican Rep. Tom Emmer also used the phrase “Hate America” and referred to attendees as the “terrorist wing” of the Democratic Party.
“Country of equals”
Beyond the United States, the “No Kings” movement is even holding events in Canada, with small demonstrations held Saturday in Malaga, Spain, and Malmö, Sweden.
On Thursday, Deirdre Schifeling, head of policy and advocacy for the American Civil Liberties Union, said the protesters wanted to express that “we are a country of equals.”
“We are a country of laws that apply to all, due process and democracy. We will not be silenced,” he told reporters.
Leah Greenberg, co-founder of the Indivisible Project, criticized the Trump administration’s efforts to send the National Guard into US cities and crack down on undocumented immigrants.
Trump ordered National Guard troops to Los Angeles, Washington and Memphis. Planned shipments to Chicago and Portland, Oregon, have so far been blocked in court.
“It’s the classic authoritarian playbook: threaten, smear and lie, scare people into submission,” Greenberg said.
Top Democrat Senator Chuck Schumer encouraged protesters to make their voices heard.
“I say to my fellow Americans this Day Without a King: Don’t let Donald Trump and the Republicans bully you into silence. That’s what they want to do. They’re afraid of the truth,” he wrote on X on Saturday.
“Speak out, use your voice and exercise your right to free speech.”
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