Latest news with #TrumpProtests
Malay Mail
37 minutes ago
- Politics
- Malay Mail
‘No crown for the clown': Tens of thousands throng US streets against ‘king' Trump in nationwide rallies
NEW YORK, June 15 — A giant orange balloon depicting President Donald Trump in a diaper towered over one 'No Kings' protest today, as tens of thousands thronged streets across the United States to decry the president's policies. Protest organisers expected rallies in all 50 US states, calling them the largest since Trump returned to office in January, with the aim of 'rejecting authoritarianism, billionaire-first politics, and the militarisation of our democracy.' Wielding signs with messages like 'No KKKings!', 'No crown for the clown' and 'The Trump fascist regime must go now!' the protests stood in stark contrast to the massive military parade planned in Washington later Saturday. That parade is meant to commemorate the founding of the US Army, but also falls on the president's 79th birthday. 'I am here today to tell the world that we don't have kings in America. In America, the law is king,' Ilene Ryan told AFP at a demonstration in Boston. In New York, tens of thousands of people, wearing raincoats and carrying colourful umbrellas, marched down Fifth Avenue in the downpour to the sound of drums, bells and crowd chants of 'Hey, hey, oh, oh, Donald Trump has got to go!' Actors Susan Sarandon and Mark Ruffalo were seen getting drenched among the protesters. Demonstrators take part in a protest on the day of a military parade commemorating the US Army's 250th Birthday in Washington, D.C. June 14, 2025. — Reuters pic 'Outraged' A few blocks away, Polly Shulman was preparing to join the march with her 'Protect the Constitution' sign. 'I'm miserable and outraged about how this administration is destroying the ideals of the American Constitution,' the 62-year-old museum employee told AFP. The most shocking thing, she said, was 'the illegal deportations of law-abiding residents.' They are 'being kidnapped and disappeared and sent to torture prisons in foreign countries.' In March, the Trump administration expelled more than 250 Venezuelans to a mega-prison in El Salvador after accusing them of being members of the Tren de Aragua criminal gang, which it has declared a terrorist organisation. At least four protesters were arrested at a separate, smaller protest against Trump's immigration crackdown at New York's Federal Plaza Saturday, police said. Demonstrators display Mexican and US flags in front of mounted police at a protest against US President Donald Trump's policies and federal immigration sweeps during a No Kings Day demonstration in Los Angeles, California June 14, 2025. — Reuters pic — 'Mad as hell' 'I think people are mad as hell,' Lindsay Ross, a 28-year-old musician, told AFP, urging the masses to show 'the administration that we're not going to take this.' Bill Kennedy, a retired psychologist from Pennsylvania, was in Washington protesting a few hours before Trump's big parade there. 'I'm tired of the current administration. I think they're a bunch of fascists,' he said, describing the Trump parade as 'ridiculous.' Suzanne Brown in Boston also lamented the money spent on the parade 'for one man's vanity.' Massive 'No Kings' protests were also underway in Los Angeles, which in recent days has been rocked by demonstrations over the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, as federal agents carried out brutal arrests of even law-abiding people without papers. Yesterday, protesters gathered in front of federal buildings shouting 'You are not welcome here' at some of the 4,000 National Guard members and 700 US Marines that Trump dispatched to the city against the wishes of city and state authorities. With a giant orange Trump-in-a-diaper balloon towering above them, thousands filled the city streets, sporting slogans like 'No faux-king way' and 'Impeach Trump'. Members of Russian feminist protest and performance art group Pussy Riot held up a large red banner in front of LA city hall warning: 'It's beginning to look a lot like Russia.' Iris Rodriguez, 44, explained that her family arrived in the United States without papers. 'I find it really, really personal... If this was my mom, if this were the 80s, this would be happening to her,' she told AFP. 'I was a little scared, but I refuse to be too scared to not come.' The country-wide demonstrations overwhelmingly took place peacefully and without incident. But in Culpeper, Virginia, police said a man had 'intentionally' rammed his car into a group of protesters as they left the event. The man, identified as 21-year-old Joseph R. Checklick Jr., 'intentionally accelerated his vehicle into the dispersing crowd, striking at least one person with his vehicle,' police said, adding that he had been arrested and no injuries had so far been reported. — AFP
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
As thousands protest at State House, has SC's approval of Trump shifted at all?
Several thousand protesters descended on the South Carolina State House Saturday to oppose President Donald Trump. 'My concern is the constitution,' said Martha Barnette, 69, who stood alongside her brother holding a sign that read, 'Save our Democracy! No Kings!,' on one side and 'June 14th, Barack Obama Appreciation Day! No Kings,' on the other. 'We are a country of laws where federal overreach is currently rampant. I mean, good Lord, where do you start?' Barnette said. 'We don't want a king, this is America. We got away from kings to have freedom. Things (in this government) have just gone crazy.' Saturday's demonstration at the State House was one of many 'No Kings' protests in South Carolina and around the nation that coincided with a military parade in Washington, D.C., to mark the Army's 250th birthday. It also fell on Trump's 79th birthday. Other demonstrations held at the State House this year have drawn hundreds upset by the Trump administration's actions on immigration and other issues. Which raises the question of whether those numbers represent any waning enthusiasm for the president in a state that voted for Trump by 18 percentage points seven months ago. Winthrop University has conducted three statewide polls of South Carolina voters since Trump assumed office on Jan. 20. In February, April and May, Trump's approval among all voters has been consistently around 45%. The disapproval rate was at 40% and rose to 45% and 43% in the next two months, respectively. But that's largely because the percentage answering 'don't know' fell from 16% to 11% to 9%. 'That may not be the same after the protests' in California, said Scott Huffmon, director of the Winthrop Poll. 'There's a clear difference over [Kilmar Abrego] Garcia being brought back, but that's really the only strong immigration story that's bubbled up to public attention.' Abrego Garcia is a citizen of El Salvador who previously lived in Maryland after entering the country without documentation. He and several other immigrants the Trump administration accused of gang ties were deported to a notorious prison in El Salvador under an emergency war powers act that courts later blocked. A judge ordered that the U.S. 'facilitate' Abrego Garcia's return to the U.S. because his deportation violated a previous court order that found Abrego Garcia was likely to face persecution if he was returned to El Salvador, and the Supreme Court later upheld the decision. Trump initially insisted he was unable to remove Abrego Garcia from Salvadoran custody, but earlier this month Abrego Garcia was brought back to the U.S. to face charges of human smuggling. On Saturday at the State House, state Rep. Jermaine Johnson, addressed the crowd. 'No more, enough is enough,' Johnson, D-Richland, chanted several times at the outset of his remarks. In what he called 'an attack' on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policies in South Carolina, Johnson said he challenged his colleagues on the House floor. 'I had to tell them, what are you afraid of?' Johnson said. 'Are you afraid of the diversity part? Are you afraid of the equity part or in the inclusion part. Nobody told you that you can't be proud of being white. Nobody told you can't be proud of you being European. Nobody told you can't be proud of being Jewish. Nobody told you we could not be proud of being Black. ' The protests are also taking place with the backdrop of Trump's deployment of thousands of National Guard troops to Los Angeles in response to demonstrations against immigration raids in the city, a move that was resisted by local officials who fear it could increase tensions and the potential for violence. 'When you see something you need to take a stance for, don't let anybody get in the way of standing up for what you believe in, despite the possibility of retaliation,' Hakeem Hayard, 27, of Columbia said at the State House rally Saturday. 'I firmly believe that if you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything, and in this day and age, where information can be easily misused, solidarity is better than separation. So, unity is the goal here for me today.' Some protesters of Latin descent were reluctant to share their names, including a 21-year-old who is the first in his family born in America. He said close relatives have been summoned to immigration court. 'I have loved ones close to me that have already been called into immigration court and told the government is trying to get rid of your visa and are trying to take you away,' the man said. 'My family is lucky to have their own lawyers. A lot of people don't have that help. A lot of people, find themselves detained by ICE after their immigration hearing in court.' The May Winthrop poll showed that 44% of South Carolinians said Trump should comply with court orders to return Abrego Garcia to the United States. 33% said he should not, and 23% were unsure. 'We shouldn't assume that all of the respondents knew the particulars of the Abrego Garcia case,' Huffmon noted when releasing the poll results. 'If they didn't, this becomes more of a referendum on whether the Trump administration should be bound by court orders when it comes to immigration.' The same poll shows that 45% of South Carolinians disapprove of Trump's handling of the economy, while 43% approve. But Trump is much stronger on immigration, with 50% approving of his handling of the issue and 40% disapproving. 'The people who constantly follow the news forget that the average person doesn't pay attention closely until something like the protests erupt, and then they see it as coming out of nowhere,' Huffmon said. 'It's possible that people who like the idea of Trump deporting folks have a problem with using the National Guard and military against U.S. citizens. That could produce a shift among those moderately supporting Trump.' Greg Brewer, an engineer and self-described 'limited government fiscal conservative' living in Lexington, used to live in California and moved back to South Carolina amid the strict lockdown requirements imposed by Gov. Gavin Newsom at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. 'California in general is completely mismanaged, with its debt, its catastrophes,' Brewer said. 'The vegetation isn't managed, which is why they have these wildfires. I think there's nothing impressive about Gavin Newsom, he's a disaster.' 'Trump got elected because of concerns about sovereignty and border protection,' he said. 'That's what he campaigned on, and he's delivering on it.' But another Lexington conservative had a different reaction to the week's news. Anne Marie Green, the former chair of the Lexington 1 school board, posted on Facebook that she was surprised to be heading to the protest herself. 'As a Christian, a lifelong Republican, and someone who grew up on the principled, conservative leadership of Ronald Reagan and Governor Carroll Campbell, I never imagined I would attend a protest,' Green wrote. 'I'll be standing with others at the No Kings protest to affirm something simple but vital: In America, we don't worship politicians. We hold them accountable. Our leaders are servants, not kings.' State Rep. Todd Rutherford, D-Richland, believes that at least some people who voted for Trump are reconsidering, citing Arab American voters in Michigan who abandoned the Democrats over the Biden administration's approach to the war in Gaza, or Cuban Americans who have seen the revocation of immigrants' protected status under Trump. 'Republican businessmen see their 401(k)s plummet, and then when a court rules he did something illegal, the stock market goes up,' he said. 'Even the business community feels like they did not get what they pay for.'
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Thousands of ‘No Kings' Protests Held Against Trump's ‘Militarized Birthday Party'
As Washington, D.C. prepares for Donald Trump's military birthday parade, ostensibly in honor of the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary, people in 2,000 locations across the country gathered for 'No Kings Day' countering the president's celebration. The protests come after Trump, who turned 79 on Saturday, deployed the National Guard and the Marines this past week during protests in Los Angeles opposing aggressive raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Law enforcement have used non-lethal weapons on protesters and journalists covering the protests against ICE. That did not stop the 'No Kings' protests on Saturday, though, as 20,000 people gathered in the streets of downtown Los Angeles. Some protesters held a giant balloon, à la Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, of Trump in a diaper. 'In the context of [Trump's] escalation in L.A., it takes on greater import,' Ezra Levin, a cofounder of the progressive grassroots giant Indivisible, told Rolling Stone earlier this week about the protests. 'You need to have a visible demonstration that Americans are against authoritarian overreach.' At Ocean Beach in San Francisco, hundreds of protesters arranged themselves to spell 'No King!' when viewed from above. Underneath, people held up an upside-down American flag. Protesters shared a range of messages, but they all had concern about the Trump administration. 'The way the separation of powers is breaking down is very alarming,' Betsy Williams told The Gainesville Sun at a protest in Gainesville, Florida. 'If they can deport someone for not carrying a passport on the streets,' that means they can do anything to anyone, Williams said. 'This is what America looks like — not like some militarized birthday party that Donald Trump threw for himself a taxpayer expense,' Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), who spoke at the Philadelphia protest, told CNN. Martin Luther King III, the civil rights leader's son, attended the Philadelphia protest as well. 'It's the energy that hopefully is infectious and contagious, because we as a society must stop turning on each other,' he told CNN. 'We must turn to each other.' There were not any official 'No Kings' events planned for Washington, D.C., but anti-war group CODEPINK held a protest at the military parade. The 'No Kings' protests saw little intervention from police. One exception was in Atlanta, where law enforcement used tear gas as they yelled 'unlawful assembly' and 'you must disperse' at protesters who were headed toward the highway, the Associated Press reported. A photo shows armored law enforcement with shields standing at an intersection next to a Kroger grocery store and Planet Fitness. The outlet also reported that a journalist was seen being detained. The protests in Minnesota were canceled after a politically motivated gunman killed Minnesota Democratic Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark in their home Saturday. The gunman also shot Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, multiple times. Law enforcement said the suspect is Vance Boelter, who works for a security company, according to CNN. He remains at large. 'Out of an abundance of caution my Department of Public Safety is recommending that people do not attend any political rallies today in Minnesota until the suspect is apprehended,' Gov. Tim Walz posted on X. In Austin, the Texas Department of Public Safety evacuated the state Capitol and Capitol grounds after a person made a 'credible threat' toward Texas state legislators who planned to attend a protest against Trump, CNN reported. In Nashville, police arrested a masked counter-protester carrying a 'Don't Tread on Me' flag who appeared to be armed. The protest was otherwise peaceful.'Everybody else is being chill,' Kase Cosgrove, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and safety volunteer, told The Tennessee Lookout. 'He was trying to cause problems.' More from Rolling Stone ICE Will Pause Farm, Restaurant Raids After Trump Social Media Post Democratic Lawmaker Killed in Apparent 'Politically Motivated Assassination' Trump Has Completely Wrecked America's Brand Best of Rolling Stone The Useful Idiots New Guide to the Most Stoned Moments of the 2020 Presidential Campaign Anatomy of a Fake News Scandal The Radical Crusade of Mike Pence
RNZ News
3 hours ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
Americans march in nationwide protest before Donald Trump's military parade
By Idrees Ali, Tim Reid, Brad Brooks, Karen Freifeld for Reuters Hundreds of thousands of Americans protested President Donald Trump at rallies and marches in major cities from New York to Los Angeles on Sunday (NZT), a day marred by the assassination of a Democratic lawmaker in Minnesota and conflict in the Middle East. The protests marked the largest outpouring of opposition to Trump's presidency since he returned to power in January, and came the same day that thousands of military personnel, vehicles and aircraft will roll through and fly above Washington, DC in an unusual display of American might. The parade will honour the US Army's 250th anniversary, as well as the president's 79th birthday, but Trump's hopes for a day of celebration have been punctuated by violence and discord. National Guard troops and US Marines are on guard in Los Angeles, ordered there by Trump to secure the heavily Democratic city amid protests over his immigration policies - a deployment that California Governor Gavin Newsom has challenged in court. Meanwhile, Israel pounded Iran with a second barrage of strikes in a bid to destroy its nuclear programme, after Iran retaliated with strikes the evening before, stoking fears of a mushrooming conflict between the two nations. Anti-Trump groups planned nearly 2000 demonstrations across the country to co-incide with the parade. Many are taking place under the theme 'No Kings', asserting that no individual is above the law. All planned 'No Kings' protests in Minnesota were cancelled, after what Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said was the "politically motivated assassination" of one Democratic lawmaker and wounding of a second. Authorities in Minnesota said flyers promoting the protests were found in the suspected gunman's car. A massive manhunt was under way. NYPD Strategic Response Group police officers stand outside Federal Plaza Immigration Court during during the 'No Kings' national rally. Photo: CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP Trump condemned the shootings in a social media post, saying: "Such horrific violence will not be tolerated in the United States of America." The Texas Department of Public Safety said it had identified a credible threat against state lawmakers planning to attend a protest, and had evacuated the state capitol and its grounds. People in Washington for the parade encountered a massive security presence, with some 30km of 2.4m-high black fencing, much of it reinforced with concrete traffic barriers, cordoning off streets and surrounding landmarks, including the Washington Monument. The celebrations will cost the US Army between $25-45 million, US officials have told Reuters. That includes the parade itself, as well as the cost of moving equipment, and housing and feeding the troops. Critics have called the parade an authoritarian display of power that is wasteful, especially given Trump has said he wants to slash costs throughout the federal government. Trump supporter Bryan Henrie flew in from Texas to celebrate the Army's anniversary and did not see any issues with tanks rolling down the streets of Washington. "I don't see a controversy," Henrie, 61, said. "I will celebrate safety and stability any day over anarchy," In Los Angeles, a large crowd of protesters faced a large contingent of Marines guarding the Roybal Federal Building downtown, the site of clashes between protesters and officers earlier this week . Standing about three metres away from the Marines, the crowd yelled in unison, "Shame! Shame!" and "Marines, get out of LA!" US President Donald Trump and US First Lady Melania Trump take the stage during the Army 250th Anniversary Parade in Washington, DC. Photo: MANDEL NGAN/AFP Despite rain, thousands of people of all ages turned out in and around Bryant Park in Midtown Manhattan, many carrying homemade signs that played off the 'No Kings' theme. "No crown for a clown", said one. Actor Mark Ruffalo was among the demonstrators, wearing a hat that read "immigrant". "We're seeing dehumanising language towards LGBT people, towards people with autism, towards people with other disabilities, racial minorities, undocumented people," said Cooper Smith, 20, from upstate New York. "Somebody's got to show that most Americans are against this." Thousands packed Chicago's Daley Plaza and surrounding streets on Saturday, under the iconic Picasso statue. Some chanted "Lock him up!" in reference to the president. Allan Hallie, a 70-year-old retired gastroenterologist, travelled from the northwest Indiana town of Ogden Dunes to protest policies of the Trump administration. "I am quite afraid of the direction of this country," he said. Members of the far-right Proud Boys - ardent Trump supporters - appeared at an Atlanta 'No Kings' protest, wearing the group's distinctive black-and-yellow colours. About 400 protesters, organised by a group called marched through Washington and gathered for a rally in a park opposite the White House. Trump had warned people against protesting at the parade itself, saying: "They're going to be met with very big force." Sunsara Taylor, a founder of RefuseFascism, told the crowd: "Today we refuse to accept Donald Trump unleashing the military against the people of this country and in the streets of this country. We say, 'hell no'." US President Donald Trump watches members of the 82nd Airborne Division march past during the Army 250th Anniversary Parade in Washington, DC. Photo: MANDEL NGAN/AFP Military parades in the United States are rare. Other countries usually stage them to celebrate victories in battle or showcase military might. In 1991, tanks and thousands of troops paraded through Washington to celebrate the ousting of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's forces from Kuwait in the Gulf War. Thousands of agents, officers and specialists will be deployed from law enforcement agencies from across the country, and drones operated by the Secret Service will keep watch overhead. The US Army has brought nearly 7000 troops into Washington, along with 150 vehicles, including more than 25 M1 Abrams tanks, 28 Stryker armoured vehicles, four Paladin self-propelled artillery vehicles and artillery pieces, including the M777 and M119. The flyover will include Apache and Black Hawk helicopters, along with Chinooks. Older aircraft, like the World War Two-era B-25 bomber and P-51 Mustang, will also take part. - Reuters
Japan Times
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Japan Times
Tens of thousands throng U.S. streets against 'king' Trump
A giant orange balloon depicting President Donald Trump in a diaper towered over one "No Kings" protest Saturday, as tens of thousands thronged streets across the United States to decry the president's policies. Protest organizers expected rallies in all 50 U.S. states, calling them the largest since Trump returned to office in January, with the aim of "rejecting authoritarianism, billionaire-first politics, and the militarization of our democracy." Wielding signs with messages like "No KKKings!" "No crown for the clown," and "The Trump fascist regime must go now!" the protests stood in stark contrast to the massive military parade in Washington held later Saturday. That parade was meant to commemorate the founding of the U.S. Army, but also falls on the president's 79th birthday. In New York alone, tens of thousands of people, wearing raincoats and carrying colorful umbrellas, marched down Fifth Avenue in the downpour to the sound of drums, bells and crowd chants of "Hey, hey, oh, oh, Donald Trump has got to go!" Actors Susan Sarandon and Mark Ruffalo were seen getting drenched among the protesters. "It is essential for us to demonstrate that democracy is still strong in this country," said Vikas Mehta, a 45-year-old doctor who was taking part in the demonstration with his wife and two children. "We also want to show our children that ... when democracy was threatened ... we chose to participate," he told AFP. Nearby, a man carried a photo montage showing Marilyn Monroe delivering her famous rendition of "Happy Birthday Mr. President." But instead of a kiss, she is making an obscene gesture. A few blocks away, Polly Shulman was preparing to join the march with her "Protect the Constitution" sign. "I'm here because I'm miserable and outraged about how this administration is destroying the ideals of the American Constitution and committing many illegal and immoral acts," the 62-year-old museum employee said. Protesters with U.S. flags, placards and a Donald Trump baby balloon march during a nationwide "No Kings" rally in Los Angeles on Saturday. | AFP-JIJI The most shocking thing, she said, was "the illegal deportations of law-abiding residents who did nothing wrong, and who have the right to due process." They are "being kidnapped and disappeared and sent to torture prisons in foreign countries," she lamented. In March, the Trump administration expelled more than 250 Venezuelans to a megaprison in El Salvador after accusing them of being members of the Tren de Aragua criminal gang, which it has declared a terrorist organization. "I think people are mad as hell," said Lindsay Ross, a 28-year-old musician. "What we're doing today is showing up in masses, showing the administration that we're not going to take this." Massive No Kings protests were also underway in Los Angeles, which in recent days has been rocked by demonstrations over the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, as federal agents carried out brutal arrests of even law-abiding people without papers. On Saturday, protesters gathered in front of federal buildings shouting "You are not welcome here" at some of the 4,000 National Guard members and 700 U.S. Marines that Trump dispatched to the city against the wishes of city and state authorities. With a giant orange Trump-in-a-diaper balloon towering above them, thousands filled the city streets, sporting slogans like "No faux-king way" and "Impeach Trump" as music played and law enforcement looked on. Members of Russian feminist protest and performance art group Pussy Riot held up a large red banner in front of LA City Hall warning: "It's beginning to look a lot like Russia." Iris Rodriguez, 44, explained that her family arrived in the United States without papers. "I find it really, really personal. ... If this was my mom, if this were the 80s, this would be happening to her," she said. "How could I not come and support other people who love their families just as much as I love my mom?" she asked. "I was a little scared, but I refuse to be too scared to not come."
