‘He thinks he’s great, we don’t’: Americans march against Trump’s ‘imperial presidency’

AUSTIN – Alarmed by what they see as an overreach of executive power by President Donald Trump, hundreds of thousands of Americans turned out for a wave of rallies across the country on Oct 18 to

protest against his “imperial presidency”

.

The participants protested against the crackdown on illegal immigrants, the ongoing government shutdown, funding cuts for education, healthcare and food assistance programmes, and Mr Trump’s “increasingly authoritarian” tendencies, in rallies they dubbed “No Kings” marches.

Supporters framed the marches as patriotic and cast themselves as defending the Constitution, while Republican leaders called the event a “Hate America” rally and described the protesters as “communists” and “Marxists”.

In Texas state capital Austin, between 10,000 and 20,000 people marched from the State Capitol to the grassy grounds beside a lake where there were speeches, live music and food trucks to keep the crowds engaged.

“The No-Kings message doesn’t resonate with me, but I understand what they’re trying to say. It’s a stand against dictators,” said Ms Kathleen Shaheen, a 71-year-old mental health worker who took a break from the march to cool off with a drink at a local burger store.

Asked why she came out on an unseasonably hot day, Ms Shaheen told The Straits Times that it was her “stubbornness”, and wanting to make a difference. “I wanted to be around people that feel the same way and be open about it,” she said, adding that she wanted to “get re-energised”.

“He’s cutting healthcare for people; people don’t have complete mental health benefits. It’s very unsettling,” she said, referring to budget cuts and layoffs at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The federal agency oversees the 988 suicide prevention hotline and gives out billions in grants for mental health and addiction services.

Ms Shaheen went on to say that she believes Mr Trump would not contest the 2028 election, despite his hints about wanting to be president for a constitutionally barred third term.

She added wryly: “He thinks he’s great. Most of us, we don’t think so.”

The protests were coordinated by a coalition of over 200 progressive organisations, including prominent liberal groups such as MoveOn, American Civil Liberties Union and Indivisible. The American Federation of Teachers, Planned Parenthood Federation, Human Rights Campaign and College Democrats of America were also involved. Billionaire financier and philanthropist George Soros’ Open Society Foundations provided funding to many of these groups. 

The organisers said demonstrations in more than 2,600 cities and towns drew nearly seven million people – two million more than the first day of the “

No Kings” rallies in June

. There was no independent corroboration of the figures. 

The rallies stretched from the big cities of the east such as New York City’s Times Square and the National Mall in Washington, DC, to Chicago in the Midwest. In the West, there were rallies in San Francisco and Los Angeles, among others. 

In Washington, DC, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders addressed the crowd, warning that the country was in danger when “we have a President who wants more and more power in his own hands and in the hands of his fellow oligarchs”.

In Manhattan, protesters also raised “Free Palestine” calls while shouting slogans against Mr Trump, who recently brokered a historic peace between Israel and Hamas.

In Chicago, where residents have repeatedly clashed with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers rounding up illegal immigrants, Mayor Brandon Johnson called on protesters to be “ready” to fight.

“Are you ready to defend this democracy? Are you ready to fight fascism? Are you prepared to destroy authoritarianism once and for all!” he bellowed. “Let the world hear you: No kings!”

Mr Trump spent the day at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida, away from the public eye. A small crowd outside his golf club cheered as his motorcade drove by. The previous night, he was the keynote speaker at a US$1 million (S$1.3 million)-per-plate fund-raising dinner for his Make America Great Again movement.

“They say they’re referring to me as a king. I’m not a king,” he said in a Fox News interview that aired early on Oct 17. 

Mr Trump has aggressively redefined the use of executive power. He has despatched federal troops on law enforcement duties to large, Democrat-run cities, and his executive orders have targeted tenets such as birthright citizenship and diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.

Democrat-run states such as California, Illinois and Oregon see his administration’s use of

military-style immigration raids

as an unprecedented use of the federal government, encroaching on states’ rights. 

In addition, Mr Trump has also pressed the Department of Justice to arrest his political enemies – including former Federal Bureau of Investigation director James Comey, New York Attorney-General Letitia James and Mr John Bolton, the national security adviser from Mr Trump’s first term – in ways that protest organisers warn are a slide towards authoritarianism.

Mr Trump has also

sued a host of media organisations

, including ABC, CBS, New York Times and Wall Street Journal.

Critics say he has also used the office of the presidency to advance his family’s business interests. A report by a British newspaper, The Financial Times, said a cryptocurrency empire built by Mr Trump and his family has already reaped more than US$1 billion in pre-tax profits over the past year – in part, thanks to a crypto boom fuelled by the administration’s own industry-friendly policies.

Around seven in 10 Americans (69 per cent) say the President is trying to exert more power than his predecessors, based on a new Pew Research Centre poll. And only 12 per cent think this is good for the country, according to the poll of 3,455 American adults conducted between Sept 22 and Sept 28.

The poll also found that the majority of Americans say Mr Trump “definitely or probably” has improperly used his office to punish those who say things that he does not like (66 per cent). They believe he is enriching himself or his friends and family (61 per cent), and that he encourages federal investigations of his political opponents (62 per cent).

Mr Todd, a high school teacher who participated in the march, asked: “What’s going on is shocking. How will it play out?” The teacher, who withheld his first name because he was not authorised to speak to the media, lamented the decline of the office of the presidency.

“Will US presidents now shamelessly exploit the office for personal gain and hand out lucrative deals to cronies and pardon friends?” he asked rhetorically.

“The billionaires will come to own everything; the future looks dark for our children.”