WASHINGTON − Groups opposed to actions by the Trump administration in recent weeks converged on cities Wednesday across the U.S. to loudly register their discontent.
The protests came days after widespread rallies and street marches against President Donald Trump’s immigration policies that have led to sweeping ICE raids.
In Washington, a crowd several hundred deep gathered outside the U.S. Capitol for a demonstration against Trump’s efforts to diminish the U.S. Agency for International Development. Rallygoers bundled up in puffy winter coats, hats and gloves held up signs against Trump.“Don’t let democracy die,” “Elon cheats on video games, “checks and balances make america great,” some of the signs read. Demonstrators chanted at Democratic lawmakers speakers to “do your job!”
Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine said Democrats plan to fight the changes in court, in state legislatures and in Congress. Fellow Virginia Sen. Mark Warner urged protesters to take their concerns to GOP lawmakers as well.
“Don’t just show up here,” Warner said. “We are only going to break this when we have Republicans willing to stand up as well. Put the pressure not just on us but on everyone, every elected official.”
Trump has signed a flurry of executive orders and taken other actions since his inauguration on Jan. 20 to remake and reduce the size of America’s 2.2 million-strong federal workforce. Diversity programs have been targeted; government web pages have been scrubbed of gender references.
Trump accuses USAID of being ‘corrupt’:Implies the agency’s days are numbered
Developments:
∎ New Yorkers protested outside the Midtown Manhattan office of Sen. Charles Schumer, carrying signs such as “It’s a coup, where R you?” and “Chuck, show us pluck.”
∎ Protesters in Chicago were to rally in Daley Plaza and lobby Democratic Sens. Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin to block Trump’s efforts.
Stewart Rabitz, 70, drove up from his home in Wake Forest, North Carolina, early Wednesday to attend the protest outside the U.S. Capitol. Rabitz isn’t new to the anti-Trump protest circuit − he’s been hitting the streets since the early days of Trumps first term and said he’s faced off against the Proud Boys.This time feels different, Rabitz said, because of the quick pace of Trump’s executive orders. The sentiment among the opposition to Trump has also changed.“I think a lot of people are now realizing that walking around with signs, people got to get their hands dirty,”he saidAsked about whether he feared retribution, Babitz said: “You can’t be afraid. I’m willing to be the first one. I’ll be the Tiananmen tank guy.”
The 50501 Movement − 50 states, 50 protests, one day − planned protests in every state “supporting the free expression of regular Americans’ dissatisfaction with the embrace of Project 2025.”
Project 2025 is a lengthy list of proposals that would expand presidential power and impose an ultra-conservative social vision. Protest organizers say Project 2025 seeks to target marginalized groups, heighten surveillance, restrict reproductive rights and slash funding for crucial services such as education and health care while dismantling “the freedoms we cherish.”
The 50501 group is also opposed to Trump’s executive orders such as cracking down on illegal immigration and pardoning people involved in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Hours before the D.C. protest, finger-numbing cold and gray skies on Wednesday didn’t keep schoolchildren visiting the U.S. Capitol from running around on the West Lawn in front of the building. Two white tour buses were parked and waiting.
The area around the Peace Monument where protesters are expected to rally against Trump later Wednesday was otherwise quiet. A few metal barricades lined up on the grass were the only sign of potential pending disruption − though they were not blocking any streets or pathways. A few hundred yards away, however, hundreds gathered for a protest against changes to USAID, and the two rallies merged there.
Trump did not win New Jersey on election night, but the state vote in 2024 was far closer than his previous races against Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton. Multiple protests against Trump policies were planned Wednesday in the state. The 50501 Movement in New Jersey planned to kick off its protest at noon at the State House in Trenton. Indivisible, a grassroots movement initiated in 2016 to defeat Trump’s agenda, was hosting rallies outside Senator Cory Booker’s office on Gateway Center in Newark and Senator Andy Kim’s office in Jersey City.
Voices of Mississippi will hold a protest at the Mississippi State Capitol in Jackson. Organizers were asking those who can’t make it to Jackson to go to local city hall buildings. And everyone taking part in the protest is encouraged to wear blue.
Indivisible Northeast Mississippi also plans to rally at Sen. Roger Wicker’s district office in Tupelo. The Republican, ranking member on the Senate Armed Services Committee, has questioned Trump’s push to greatly diminish the U.S. Agency for International Development, saying it is crucial to combat China’s increasing influence in the developing world.
Contributing: Bonnie Bolden, Mississippi Clarion Ledger; Lori Comstock, USA TODAY NETWORK; Seth Harrison/The Journal News