Organizers said more than 2,600 “No Kings” protests would take place across the US to express their opposition to President Donald Trump’s agenda.
Saturday’s mass protests followed similar “No Kings” protests on June 14, which were called by Trump to compensate for a military parade held in Washington on the same day to mark the 250th anniversary of the US military and his own birthday. Organizers estimate that 4 million to 6 million people participated in the June demonstrations.
“I’m really scared for our democracy, really scared for my immigrant neighbors, people in my community who rely on health care access and SN benefits, people losing their rights, my trans friends scared for their lives,” said Stephen Kenny, 26, a policy analyst from Bethesda, Maryland, who attended the protest in Washington, D.C.. “It felt like the least I should do.”
In Washington, the protest stage was next to the US Department of Labor, whose facade was partially covered by a large banner displaying Trump’s face. One protester, 33-year-old Conor O’Donnell, shared his concern that such banners are more common in authoritarian states.
“I’m a proud resident of D.C., I don’t want to see the military arming up against Democratic cities to crush dissent, and I feel energized and proud that we still have the ability to come here to protest,” O’Donnell said, as he watched a photo depicting Trump dressed as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The sign was holding. “As I’m talking to you, I’m seeing a banner of Trump’s face hanging next to the American flag on a federal building, and countries don’t realize they’re slipping into totalitarianism until it actually happens.”
The US government has been shut down for 18 days as Senate Democrats and Republicans squabble over increasing health care subsidies, a hurdle for a spending bill that would reopen the government.
“I hope GOP senators wake up and stop kissing Trump’s ring and do what they need to do and manage the country,” said Michelle Farrell, a 51-year-old federal contractor who moved to Washington from the Maryland suburbs.
Trump, who is spending the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, previously dismissed the protests and said he is not a king. White House protocol chief Monica Crowley responded with a post on
The protesters showed public opposition to Trump’s push to send National Guard troops to US cities, his immigration raids and cuts to foreign aid and domestic programs supported by Democrats.
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