More than seven million people took part in ‘No Kings’ demonstrations against PresidentDonald Trumpyesterday.
Organisers, who oppose Trump’s immigration, education and security policies, hosted some 2,700 events across all 50 states.
‘America has no kings, and the power belongs to the people,’ they wrote on theNo Kings website.
This is the third mass mobilisation since Trump’s return tothe White House, with a No Kings rally seizing the US in June.
People had their reasons to be there. Signs and chants described their growing anger overimmigration raids, the deployment of federal troops and theso-called One Big Beautiful Bill, and many other issues.
New York, Philadelphia and Chicago were among the major cities to see the day-long rallies held, while hundreds popped up in rural towns and villages.
Some 100,000 people marched across all five boroughs of New York City, with thousands in Times Square holding signs up high reading: ‘Democracy not monarchy.’
A rally in Atlanta, meanwhile, that drew thousands stretched three city blocks.
In Portland, Oregon, the streets were clouded by gas as protesters scuffled with federal agents outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement building.
The President’sRepublican Partylargely shrugged off the protests, calling them ‘Hate America’ rallies.
It comes against the backdrop of a USgovernmentshutdown that has closed federal programmes and services.
Analysts say the dispute is testing the balance of power as Trump confronts Congress and the courts in ways that organisers say are a slide towards authoritarianism. Trump himself is away from Washington at his Mar-a-Lago home inFlorida.
In a Fox News interview, Trump said: ‘They say they’re referring to me as a king. I’m not a king.’
Large crowds attended protests earlier this year againstElon Musk’s cuts in spring, then to counter Mr Trump’s military parade in June.
Organisers say this demonstration is building a more unified opposition movement.
Ezra Levin, co-founder of Indivisible, among the key organisers, said before the rallies: ‘There is no greater threat to an authoritarian regime than patriotic people-power.’
Senior Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Independent Senator Bernie Sanders, support the protests.
They say they are a defence of constitutional rights and civil liberties.
Sanders described the events as ‘love America rallies,’ rejecting Republican claims that they were anti-patriotic.
Republicans, however, branded the demonstrations ‘Hate America rallies,’ accusing participants of being extremists and blaming them for prolonging the government shutdown.
House Speaker Mike Johnson described the protesters as ‘Marxists’ and ‘Antifa types’.
Democrats have refused to approve legislation to reopen the government without funding forhealthcare.
They argue the shutdown highlights Trump’s overreach and the need to restore balance between the presidency and Congress.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us atwebnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this,check our news page.
