Tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets across the United States and several European capitals on Saturday in a widespread display of discontent against President Donald Trump’s administration, marking the largest wave of protests since his return to office.
Rallies were held in over a thousand US cities, including Washington DC, New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Houston and Denver.
The movement, loosely coordinated by progressive groups such as MoveOn and Women's March, sought to denounce what organisers called the “fascist” tendencies of the Trump administration, particularly its approach to immigration, reproductive rights, trade policy and civil liberties.
"I am so angry, I'm so mad, all the time, yes. A bunch of privileged, white alleged rapists are controlling our country. It's not great," said New York-based artist Shaina Kesner, 43, while marching through Manhattan.
In Washington, thousands congregated at the National Mall, just blocks from the White House, where a series of speakers addressed the crowd. Representative Jamie Raskin, a Democrat who served as impeachment manager during Trump’s second impeachment, declared: "No moral person wants an economy-crashing dictator who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing."
Activist Graylan Hagler, 71, warned, "They've woken up a sleeping giant, and they haven't seen nothing yet. We will not sit down, we will not be quiet, and we will not go away."
Elsewhere, demonstrators used symbolism and satire to drive home their point. In Los Angeles, a protester dressed as a character from The Handmaid’s Tale waved a banner that read, “Get out of my uterus” in reference to Trump's anti-abortion stance.
In Denver, one participant hoisted a placard that read: “No king for USA,” while in Boston, protester Dominic Santella told AFP, “We're out here to stop the, honestly, fascism. We're stopping a leader from... jailing his opponents, stopping him from jailing just random people, immigrants.”
Outside the United States, rallies were reported in London and Berlin. Liz Chamberlin, a dual US-British citizen attending a protest in the British capital, said: “What’s happening in America is everyone’s problem. It’s economic lunacy... He is going to push us into a global recession.”
In Berlin, 70-year-old retiree Susanne Fest declared: “The guy is a lunatic. He’s created a constitutional crisis.”
British news agency AFP reported that the protests were peaceful, with an upbeat atmosphere and wide demographic representation — from elderly citizens to young families. In Washington alone, organisers had forecast a turnout of 20,000, though actual figures appeared to surpass expectations by the afternoon.
The wave of protests comes amid mounting public dissatisfaction with Trump’s leadership. His approval rating, according to recent polling, has dropped to its lowest since taking office.
Despite this, Trump has shown no inclination to revise his agenda. Speaking on Friday, the President said, “My policies will never change.”
His aggressive downsizing of government institutions, hard-line border policies, and contentious trade tariffs — even against allied nations — have led to volatility in global markets, civil unrest at home, and growing unease abroad.
Follow us
