WASHINGTON (AP) — Protesting the direction of the country under , people gathered Saturday in the nation’s capital and communities across the U.S. for “ ” demonstrations — what the president's Republican Party is calling .
This is the since Trump's return to the White House and comes against the backdrop of a that not only has closed federal but is testing the core balance of power as an aggressive executive confronts in ways that organizers warn are a slide toward American authoritarianism.
Many protesters are especially angered by attacks on their motivations for taking to the streets. In Bethesda, Maryland, one held up a sign that said “Nothing is more patriotic than protesting."
In Washington, D.C., Brian Reymann carried a large American flag and said being called a terrorist all week by Republicans was despicable.
“This Is America. I disagree with their politics, but I don’t believe that they don’t love this country. I believe they are misguided. I think they are power hungry,” Reymann said. "The vilification of others that this country has adopted right now — it's sad, it’s pathetic and it’s terrifying.”
Trump himself is away from Washington at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida.
“They say they’re referring to me as a king. I’m not a king,” Trump said in a Fox 69 interview airing early Friday, before he departed for a $1 million-per-plate MAGA Inc. super PAC fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago. Protests are expected nearby Saturday.
More than 2,600 rallies are planned Saturday in cities large and small, organized by hundreds of coalition partners.
A growing opposition movement
While the earlier protests this year — then to counter in June — drew crowds, organizers say this one is building a more unified opposition movement. Top Democrats such as Senate Leader and Independent Sen. are joining in what organizers view as an antidote to Trump's actions, from the administration's clampdown on free speech to its military-style immigration raids.
“There is no greater threat to an authoritarian regime than patriotic people-power,” said Ezra Levin, a co-founder of Indivisible, among the key organizers.
Before noon, several thousand people had gathered in New York City’s Times Square, chanting “Trump must go now,” and waving sometimes-profane signs with slogans insulting the president and condemning his immigration crackdown. Some people carried American flags.
Retired family doctor Terence McCormally was heading to Arlington National Cemetery to join up with others Saturday morning and walk across the Memorial Bridge that enters Washington directly in front of the Lincoln Memorial. He thought the protests would be peaceful but said the recent deployment of the makes him more leery about the police than he used to be.
“I really don’t like the crooks and conmen and religious zealots who are trying to use the country” for personal gain, McCormally said, “while they are killing and hurting millions of people with bombs.”
Rallies were held in major European cities, where gatherings of a few hundred Americans chanted slogans and held signs and U.S. flags.
Republicans denounce ‘Hate America’ rallies
Republicans have sought to portray participants in Saturday’s rallies as far outside the mainstream of American politics, and a main reason for the , now in its 18th day.
From the White House to Capitol Hill, disparaged the rallygoers as “communists” and “Marxists."
They say Democratic leaders, including Schumer, are beholden to the far-left flank and willing to keep the government shut down to appease those liberal forces.
“I encourage you to watch — we call it the Hate America rally — that will happen Saturday,” said R-La.
“Let’s see who shows up for that," Johnson said, listing groups including “antifa types,” people who “hate capitalism” and “Marxists in full display.”
In a Facebook post, former presidential contender Sanders said, “It’s a love America rally.”
“It’s a rally of millions of people all over this country who believe in our Constitution, who believe in American freedom and,” he said, pointing at the GOP leadership, “are not going to let you and Donald Trump turn this country into an authoritarian society.”
Democrats try to regain their footing
Democrats have refused to vote on legislation that would reopen the government as they demand funding for health care. Republicans say they are willing to discuss the issue later, only after the government reopens.
But for many Democrats, the government closure is also a way to stand up to Trump, and try to push the presidency back to its place in the U.S. system as a co-equal branch of government.
The situation is a potential turnaround from just six months ago, when Democrats and their allies were divided and despondent, unsure about how best to respond to Trump's return to the White House. Schumer in particular was berated by his party for allowing an earlier government funding bill to sail through the Senate without using it to challenge Trump.
In April, the national march against Trump and Elon Musk had 1,300 registered locations. In June, for the first “No Kings” day, there were 2,100 registered locations.
“What we are seeing from the Democrats is some spine,” Levin said. “The worst thing the Democrats could do right now is surrender.”
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said he wasn't sure if he would join the rallygoers Saturday, but he took issue with the Republicans' characterization of the events.
“What’s hateful is what happened on January 6th," he said, referring to the 2021 Capitol attack, as Trump's supporters stormed the building to protest Joe Biden's election victory. “What you’ll see this weekend is what patriotism looks like.”
Associated Press writers Gary Fields, Lisa Mascaro, Kevin Freking, and Chris Megerian in Washington, and Safiya Riddle in Montgomery, Alabama, contributed to this report.
