‘No Kings’ Protests Against Trump Bring Street Party Vibe to Cities Across the Country
To protest the direction the country is heading under President Donald Trump, people gathered Saturday in the nation’s capital and in communities large and small across the United States for “No Kings” protests that the president’s Republican Party called “Hate America” rallies.
With signs such as “Nothing is more patriotic than protesting” or “Resist fascism,” in many places the events looked more like a street party. There were marching bands, a huge banner with the preamble to the US Constitution “We The People” that people could sign, and protesters wearing inflatable costumes, including frogs, which became a sign of resistance in Portland, Oregon.
It was the third mass mobilization since Mr. Trump’s return to the White House and occurred against the backdrop of a government shutdown that has not only shuttered federal programs and services but also tested the balance of power, as an aggressive executive takes on Congress and the courts in a way that protest organizers say constitutes a slide toward authoritarianism.
President Trump himself 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.
Later Friday, 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
People gathered in Times Square in New York, Boston Common and Grant Park in Chicago; outside the state capitols of Tennessee and Indiana, as well as a courthouse in Billings, Montana; and in hundreds of small public spaces. More than 2,600 rallies were planned that day, organizers said.
Many protesters said they were angered by attacks on their motives. In Washington, Brian Reymann said being called a terrorist all week by Republicans was “pathetic.”
“This is America. I don’t agree with their policies, but I don’t think they don’t love this country,” Mr. Reymann said, waving a large American flag. “I think they’re wrong. I think they’re power hungry.”
More than 1,500 people gathered in Birmingham, Alabama, openly discussing and citing 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,” Ms. Yother said. “I walked in and thought, ‘These are my people.’”
In San Francisco, hundreds of people spelled out “No Kings” and other phrases with their bodies on Ocean Beach. Protesters in Salt Lake City gathered outside the Utah State Capitol to share messages of hope and healing after a protester was shot and killed during the city’s first “No Kings” march in June.
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 protests earlier this year – against Elon Musk’s budget cuts and Mr Trump’s military parade – drew crowds, organizers say it is uniting the opposition. Prominent Democrats such as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and independent Senator Bernie Sanders are joining in what organizers see as an antidote to Mr. Trump’s actions, from the administration’s crackdown on free speech to its military raids on immigration.
“We are here because we love America,” Senator Sanders said as he addressed the crowd from a stage in Washington. He said the American experiment was “in danger” under President Trump. But he insisted: “We, the people, will govern.”
The national march against Mr. Trump and Mr. Musk last spring had 1,300 registered locations, while the first “No Kings” day in June had 2,100 registered.
Republican critics denounce protests
Republicans have sought to portray the protesters as far removed from the mainstream and that is one of the main reasons for the government shutdown, now in its 18th day.
From the White House to the Capitol, Republican Party leaders called protesters “communists” and “Marxists.” They said Democratic leaders, including Sen. 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,” Louisiana Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said.
“Let’s see who runs for this,” Mr. 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 Mr. 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 city’s 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. Senator Schumer, in particular, was chastised by his party for allowing a previous government funding bill to pass the Senate without using it to challenge President 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.”
This story was reported by the Associated Press.
Associated Press reporters Matt Brown, 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, Chris Megerian in West Palm Beach, Florida, Bill Barrow in Birmingham, Alabama, and Safiya Riddle in Montgomery, Alabama, contributed.
