Anti-Trump rallies draw thousands across US

WASHINGTON: Thousands of people descended Saturday on Washington’s National Mall and other cities across the United States in opposition to the policies of Donald Trump, in the largest protests since he returned to the presidency.

A big “HANDS OFF!” banner stretched across the stage of an outdoor theatre just a few blocks from the White House, with protests holding signs that read “Not My President!”, “Fascism has Arrived,” “Stop Evil,” and “Hands Off Our Social Security.”

Jane Ellen Saums, 66, said she was dismayed to see the Trump administration dismantling America’s long-standing democratic institutions.

A loose US coalition of dozens of left-leaning groups like MoveOn and Women’s March organized “Hands Off” events in more than 1,000 towns and cities and in every congressional district, the groups say.

The unifying theme: the growing resentment of what the group Indivisible has called “the most brazen power grab in modern history,” led by Trump, his advisor Elon Musk “and their billionaire cronies.”

Trump has angered many Americans by moving aggressively to downsize the government, impose his conservative values and sharply pressure even friendly countries over trade terms -- causing stock markets to tank.

“Trump, Musk, and their billionaire cronies are orchestrating an all-out assault on our government, our economy, and our basic rights -- enabled by Congress every step of the way,” Indivisible said on its website.

Many Democrats are irate that their party, in the minority in both the House of Representatives and Senate, has seemed so helpless to resist Trump’s aggressive moves.

Over 5,000 people convened just a few blocks from the White House at noon local time on the National Mall in Washington, with prominent Democrats including Representative Jamie Raskin set to speak.

“They’ve woken up a sleeping giant, and they haven’t seen nothing yet,” activist Graylan Hagler, 71, told the gathering crowd.

“We will not sit down, we will not be quiet, and we will not go away.”

Separately, a March for Palestine was scheduled in Washington around the same time.

Saturday’s demonstrations could offer a temperature reading of just how hot voters’ feelings are.

As Trump continues aggressively shaking things up in Washington and beyond, his approval rating has fallen to its lowest since taking office, according to recent polling.

But despite pushback around the globe to his sweeping imposition of tariffs, and bubbling resentment from many Americans, the White House has dismissed the protests, and the Republican president has given no sign of relenting.

“My policies will never change,” he said Friday.

Some 1,200 demonstrations that were expected to form the largest single day of protest against President Donald Trump and his billionaire ally Elon Musk since they launched a rapid-fire effort to overhaul government and expand presidential authority.

People streamed onto the expanse of grass surrounding the Washington Monument under gloomy skies and light rain. Organizers told Reuters that more than 20,000 people were expected to attend a rally at the National Mall.

Some 150 activist groups had signed up to participate, according to the event’s website. Protests were planned in all 50 states plus Canada and Mexico.

Hours before the protests were due to kick off in the United States, hundreds of anti-Trump Americans living in Europe gathered in Berlin, Frankfurt, Paris and London to voice opposition to Trump’s sweeping makeover of U.S. foreign and domestic policies.