Washington: US president Donald Trump is facing a massive protest in his own country with hundreds of thousands of people rallying under the banner of “No Kings”, accusing him of turning the nation into an authoritarian state.
The “No Kings” theme is meant to recall the anti-British protests that led to the birth of the US, abjuring monarchy and absolutism, and opting for a republican form of government.
This is the second such protest against Trump in the US since June. This protest is sponsored by the Democratic Party and the number of people out on the streets have surged.
The protest is being steered by Kamala Harris, who lost the election to Trump. , “I encourage you to join your neighbors in peaceful protest at a No Kings event… to express out voice,” she posted on X.
“In our country, the power is with the people,” she added.
Trump denied that he was acting as a monarch. “They’re referring to me as a king. I’m not a king,” he told a Fox Business TV interviewer.
Among the other sponsors of the protests are the American Civil Liberties Union, the Human Rights Campaign, and some trade unions like those of teachers.
The protests took place while most of the government was shut down because of a standoff between the Democrats and Republicans in the Senate, with no negotiations to end it.
Democrats are demanding the reinstatement of cuts to medical insurance and health-related programmes, which Trump says will drain more than $1.5 trillion from the treasury.
Because of the standoff, the Senate is unable to pass legislation to temporarily fund the government.
The protests were sparked after Trump sent federal forces to Democratic-run states and increased enforcement against illegal migrants.
During the government shutdown, Trump has cut off funds to programmes in several Democrat-run states.
The protest’s focus was on Trump using forces under federal control in the states under Democrats, asserting that there was a breakdown of law and order and crimes were rampant.
He has threatened to take over law and order in some of the cities, although under the US Constitution, there is no provision for a president’s rule.
Tens of thousands of protesters jammed Times Square in New York.
Protests were organised in Los Angeles on the West Coast, where federal immigration and other officials have clashed with demonstrators against immigration enforcement.
In the middle, in Chicago, in the state where Governor J.B. Pritzker has emerged as one of the strongest critics of Trump, huge protests were reported.
Trump has made Chicago and Illinois the centrepiece of his campaign against what he says is the rampant crime wave and has been trying to implement federal enforcement.
The city and suburbs have seen clashes between federal officials and demonstrators protesting federal immigration enforcement.
More than 2,500 protests, large and small, have been planned, and most are underway, including in the nation’s capital.