‘No Kings’ protests against Trump planned nationwide, in what the GOP calls ‘hate America’ rallies
WASHINGTON AP Protesting the direction of the country under President Donald Trump people will gather Saturday in the nation s capital and communities across the U S for No Kings demonstrations what the president s Republican Party is calling Hate America rallies This is the third mass mobilization since Trump s return to the White House and it is expected to be the largest It comes against the backdrop of a authorities shutdown that not only has closed federal programs and services but is testing the core balance of power as an aggressive executive confronts Congress and the courts in techniques that organizers warn are a slide toward American authoritarianism 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 reported in a Fox News interview airing early Friday before he departed for a million-per-plate MAGA Inc super PAC charity fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago Protests are expected nearby Saturday While the earlier protests this year against Elon Musk s cuts in spring then to counter Trump s military parade in June drew crowds organizers say this one is building a more unified opposition movement Top Democrats such as Senate Leader Chuck Schumer and Independent Sen Bernie Sanders 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 disclosed Ezra Levin a co-founder of Indivisible among the key organizers As Republicans and the White House dismiss the protests as a rally of radicals Levin declared their own sign-up numbers are growing More than rallies are planned in cities large and small organized by hundreds of coalition partners They announced rallies are being planned within a one-hour drive for the majority Americans Overseas a scant hundred Americans already gathered in Madrid to chant slogans and hold signs at a protest organized by Democrats Abroad with similar rallies planned in other major European cities Republicans have sought to portray participants in Saturday s rallies as far outside the mainstream of American politics and a main reason for the prolonged establishment shutdown now in its th day From the White House to Capitol Hill GOP leaders 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 executive shut down to appease those liberal forces I encourage you to watch we call it the Hate America rally that will happen Saturday explained House Speaker Mike Johnson R-La Let s see who shows up for that Johnson stated listing groups including antifa types people who hate capitalism and Marxists in full display Democrats have refused to vote on bill that would reopen the regime as they demand funding for fitness care Republicans say they are willing to discuss the issue later only after the cabinet reopens But for countless Democrats the governing body 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 establishment In a Facebook post Sanders of Vermont himself a former presidential contender mentioned 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 stated pointing at the GOP leadership are not going to let you and Donald Trump turn this country into an authoritarian society The situation is a likely 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 regime funding bill to sail through the Senate without using it to challenge Trump In April the national march against Trump and Elon Musk had registered locations In June for the first No Kings day there were registered locations The march Saturday will have more than registered locations Levin disclosed What we are seeing from the Democrats is a few spine Levin announced The worst thing the Democrats could do right now is surrender House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries commented 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 th he declared referring to the Capitol attack as Trump s supporters stormed the building to protest Joe Biden s polling supremacy What you ll see this weekend is what patriotism looks like people showing up to express opposition to the extremism that Donald Trump has been unleashing on the American people Riddle broadcasted from Montgomery Alabama Associated Press writer Chris Megerian contributed
