More than 5 million people turned out in more than 2000 cities and towns across the United States on June 14 to oppose President Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant, racist policies and his moves to establish himself as dictator.
More than 200,000 people marched in Los Angeles, California, where eight days earlier, on June 6, Trump sent in 4500 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to crush daily protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids.
When the “No Kings” national march call was posted online in Los Angeles, supported by 16 groups, it quickly snowballed nationally.
The term “No Kings” refers to the American Revolution against British colonial rule, when George Washington and other leaders pointed out that no president should ever become a king.
Raining on Trump’s parade
On the same day as the protests, Trump held an extravagant military parade in Washington DC, marking his 79th birthday and the 250th anniversary of the founding of the US Army. About 100,000 people watched, much less than Trump had hoped for.
Trump was clearly not happy to be upstaged by “No Kings Day” and gave a subdued 15-minute speech — a departure from his usual rants against “the enemies within”.
The next day, Trump reportedly told ICE agents to target cities controlled by Democrats and told Veterans Affairs hospital staff not to treat veterans identifying as Democrats, or those living in de facto relationships.
The massive turnout in Los Angeles was a powerful repudiation of ICE and Trump. The marchers were peaceful as they faced off against police and sheriff’s deputies as it grew dark, near the Federal building. Mounted police tried to intimidate and push back protesters.
Many on the street were first time demonstrators and came from diverse backgrounds and age groups. A few carried US and Mexican flags, showing that they identified with their heritage. Trump and his backers responded by saying this proved some protesters were foreign “invaders”.
Anger grows
An NBC News poll released on the morning of the protest showed that anger among the public toward Trump is growing. The poll indicated that nearly two-thirds (64%) did not support Trump’s military parade.
Following Trump’s National Guard deployment on June 6, California Governor Gavin Newsom criticised the federal government’s overreach as unconstitutional and called out Trump’s authoritarianism in a televised statement.
The state then sued the federal government to demand the return of California’s National Guard to Newsom’s control. A federal district judge in San Francisco ruled on June 12 that the National Guard should be returned to California’s control. However, two hours later, an appeals court put that ruling on hold.
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem told a media conference at the Federal building in LA on June 12: “We are not going away. We are staying here to liberate this city from the socialist and burdensome leadership that Governor Newsom and this mayor placed on this country and what they have tried to insert into this city,” echoing Trump’s criticism of Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass.
Senator Alex Padilla, a native of LA and the son of Mexican migrants, was at the media conference. When he tried to ask Noem a question, he was surrounded by FBI agents. They pushed him, roughed him up, threw him to the ground, handcuffed and arrested him, even though he had identified himself as a senator. This is the kind of treatment meted out to Black and Brown people on a daily basis.
He was subsequently released, after the whole scene was shown on video.
Noem then lied about the incident, saying Padilla didn’t identify himself and that he had charged her. Republicans in Congress argued that Padilla should be censored by the Senate.
The June 14 mass protests occurred despite the big police presence; many were the largest in recent memory. They included 70,000 in Seattle, 100,000 in Philadelphia and 200,000 in New York City.
In Washington DC, groups organising protests against Trump’s military parade were threatened with “heavy force” by Trump, who called them “enemies of the United States”. On the eve of the parade, 60 protesters were arrested. However, on the day, Trump appeared to back off.
People protested in Santa Monica, California, the birthplace of white nationalist Stephen Miller, Trump’s chief domestic adviser and the architect of his anti-immigrant policies.
Protests took place in Democratic- and Republican-led states. In Florida, famous for its ultra right-wing governor Ron DeSantis there were 80 No Kings protests.
Targets
Trump aims to rebuild white supremacism and racial hatred. In less than five months in office he has targeted migrants, Black and Brown people around the world. He seeks to strip the contributions and existence of African Americans through his denunciation of “woke-ism” and affirmative action programs — such as Diversity, Equity and Inclusion — which he labels “reverse discrimination” against whites. Trump is targeting abortion rights activists and organisations such as Planned Parenthood and the LGBTIQ community.
Socialist and left groups are also in Trump’s sights. So far, no organisations have been censored or banned, but a threatening letter was sent to the Party for Socialism and Liberation by the Department of Homeland Security.
Significantly, even Trump’s fellow authoritarian, Hungarian president Viktor Orban, hasn’t deployed the armed forces on the streets.
Almost all Democratic Party politicians have expressed opposition to Trump’s actions, but have not organised resistance. Few have said or done what Newsom has.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has remained quiet. While lower court judges have called out the White House, the appeals courts have generally put stays on lower court rulings. Trump is betting on the right-wing Supreme Court majority to provide legal cover to his authoritarian push. If not, Trump has implied he will use other means to continue his actions.
Trump is, however, asking the Supreme Court to allow the US to violate the United Nations Convention on Torture, so he can send “illegal” immigrants overseas to be tortured.
Trump repeatedly calls on his supporters to fight his enemies. In an example of how Trump’s words provoke violence, Minnesota Democratic office holder Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark were shot and killed in a politically-motivated assassination on the day of the protests. Democratic State Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette were also shot and seriously wounded by the same shooter.
The accused, Vance Boelter, works for a private armed police outfit called Pretorian Guard Security Services. Boelter allegedly gained entry into the homes of his targets by claiming he was a police officer, before opening fire. Media reports say Boelter had a hit list with 70 names on it in his van. All were either Democratic elected representatives who support abortion rights and gay rights or leaders of Planned Parenthood and gay rights groups.
Resistance
Resisting Trump’s authoritarian offensive requires organisation and alliance building.
Trump has politicised the armed forces, however 41% of the Army and Marines are made up of Black soldiers and those from diverse backgrounds. How many Black soldiers, who cannot speak their minds without facing discipline, reject Trumpism?
The “No Kings” protests happened because local leaders emerged throughout the country and formed networks. These networks remain and can be expected to continue now that their collective action was such an enormous success.
The “No Kings” mobilisations were made up of a broad and diverse cross section of people. The day of defiance on June 14 shows they are ready to stand up and resist.