Trump Policies Draw Outrage at May Day Protests Across the U.S.
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Labor rallies in large cities swelled with demonstrators focused on immigration, education and worker’s rights. But protesters also rallied at small-town schools and city halls in Trump country.
Annual May Day rallies in cities across the country swelled with thousands of anti-Trump demonstrators on Thursday, as outcry continued to grow over the president’s agenda and expansion of executive power.
Protesters denounced the administration’s effort to roll back workers’ rights — a particular sore spot on a day dedicated to celebrating organized labor — as well as plans to cut education funding and carry out mass deportations.
“We’re here to support our workers and our union,” said Jena Olsen, 63, who has been a flight attendant for 39 years, at a large rally in Chicago’s Union Park. But demonstrators said they were also angry about the “threat to democracy” posed by President Trump.
“I think the two coexist,” Ms. Olsen said, “and this huge turnout shows that.”
A separate effort, which organizers billed as a National Law Day of Action, brought legal professionals to the Supreme Court in Washington and federal courthouses across the country on Thursday to push for judicial independence and oppose efforts to intimidate law firms.
The lawyers demonstrating at the Supreme Court reaffirmed their oaths to serve with integrity and to protect the rule of law — principles that do not appear to interest Mr. Trump, said Fabiola Gretzinger, 28. “He thinks he’s above it,” she said.
Police closed streets for the crowds in major cities including New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Washington. But protesters also rallied in small communities that voted overwhelmingly for President Trump, including places like Norman, Okla., Sauk City, Wis., and Hendersonville, N.C. Groups held signs in front of municipal buildings and public schools, and some demonstrators wore red to indicate support for public education.
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11 hours ago
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