Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets in major cities across the United States on Saturday, expressing their opposition to President Donald Trump’s controversial policies. These demonstrations, marking the largest since Trump returned to the White House, saw rallies in Washington, New York, Houston, Florida, Colorado, and Los Angeles, among other locations.
Protesters voiced their dissatisfaction with a range of issues, from government staffing cuts and trade tariffs to the erosion of civil liberties. In Manhattan, Shaina Kesner, a 43-year-old painter, joined the protests, stating, “I am so angry, I’m so mad, all the time. A bunch of privileged, white alleged rapists are controlling our country. It’s not great.”
In Washington, a large crowd gathered at the National Mall, where several speakers rallied against the president’s policies. Diane Kolifrath, 64, a bike tour guide from New Hampshire, traveled to the capital with others to protest against what they described as an administration causing harm both abroad and at home. “They’re gutting our government,” Kolifrath said.
In Los Angeles, a woman dressed as a character from the dystopian novel The Handmaid’s Tale waved a flag with the message, “Get out of my uterus,” a direct reference to Trump’s stance on abortion rights. Meanwhile, in Denver, Colorado, a protester held up a sign reading “No king for USA,” echoing widespread sentiments against the president’s leadership style.
The protests weren’t limited to the US, with rallies also taking place in European capitals. In London, Liz Chamberlin, a US-British citizen, expressed concerns about the global impact of Trump’s economic policies. “What’s happening in America is everyone’s problem,” she said, describing Trump’s approach as “economic lunacy” that could lead to a global recession.
In Berlin, 70-year-old retiree Susanne Fest accused Trump of creating “a constitutional crisis,” labeling the president as a “lunatic.”
The protests were coordinated by a coalition of left-leaning groups, including MoveOn and Women’s March, which organized “Hands Off” events in over 1,000 US cities. The rallies were meant to oppose Trump’s policies, which have angered many Americans due to his aggressive stance on government downsizing, conservative values, and foreign relations.
In Boston, protester Dominic Santella told AFP, “We’re out here to stop the, honestly, fascism,” adding that they were fighting to prevent Trump from “jailing his opponents and random people, immigrants.”
In Washington, speakers such as Representative Jamie Raskin, a Democrat, took to the stage to criticize Trump’s leadership. Raskin, who was involved in Trump’s second impeachment, told the crowd, “No moral person wants an economy-crashing dictator who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.”
At the National Mall, the protests were largely peaceful, with an upbeat atmosphere despite the serious political issues at hand. The demonstration included a diverse crowd, ranging from the elderly to young families with children in strollers.
Organizers had initially expected around 20,000 people in Washington, but by the afternoon, the turnout appeared to be significantly larger. The protests came amid a drop in Trump’s approval rating, which recently reached its lowest point since he took office.
Despite the large scale of the protests and growing global opposition to his policies, the White House has dismissed the demonstrations. Trump, whose support remains strong among his base, showed no sign of backing down, declaring on Friday, “My policies will never change.”
