Protests Across the US Against President Trump

Kelby Chichester

In yet another baffling display of ignorance and authoritarian fantasy convicted felon and former president Donald Trump unveiled a slurry of half-baked proposals this week that would be laughable if they weren’t so dangerous. If there were a prize for weaponized stupidity, he’d be in a league of his own.  

Thousands of demonstrators packed parks, streets and campuses across the country on April 5, as more than 1,300 “Hands Off!”   

The protests, which organizers say totaled over 1,300 individual rallies were fueled by a whirlwind of issues but all pointed back to one source: the increasingly authoritarian actions of convicted felon and sitting felon Donald Trump.  

Since Trump’s second term began in January, the administration has been on a reckless tear, gutting federal agencies, overseeing mass layoffs of government workers, targeting marginalized communities through immigration raids and even inviting tech billionaire Elon Musk to take over a chunk of the federal government like it’s one of his side projects.  

April’s rallies were some of the largest and most widespread demonstrations since Trump returned to office showing just how fed up people are. “There are so many issues," said Kelley Laird from Rockville, Md., who attended a rally in Washington, D.C., on Saturday. "They're coming after education, coming after health care, coming after the arts, coming after the press."  

In Boston thousands packed the Common as speakers like Rev. Mariama White-Hammond energized the crowd. And it wasn’t just the U.S., people in Paris, Berlin, and Lisbon also hit the streets in solidarity.  

The April 5 protests were the most widespread of Trump’s second term, coming just months after he was sworn in, again, despite a mountain of controversy and a now-official criminal conviction. Since his reentry into office, he’s fired thousands of federal workers, doubled down on immigration raids and handed an absurd amount of power to none other than Elon Musk who now heads the ironically named Department of Government Efficiency.  

That “efficiency” apparently involves gutting federal programs and laying off career public servants by the thousands.  Though the White House has yet to comment on the protests or the policy Elon Musk did manage to chime in, cryptically responding “They will be,” when a user accused Democratic billionaires of funding the rallies and demanded legal retaliation.  

Despite the authoritarian undertones and the high stakes, the rallies remained peaceful. There were no major incidents or arrests reported a testament to the resilience and restraint of the demonstrators.  

And while Trump’s war on American freedoms is bad enough, his obsession with China is taking things to an entirely new level. The administration just announced a 145% tariff on Chinese imports, a move that prompted China to retaliate with a 125% tariff on U.S. goods. Markets briefly rallied after Trump claimed he’d pause other tariffs for 90 days but don’t let the spin fool you. His justification? China’s “lack of respect.” That’s it.  

Even more disturbing: a new blanket ban quietly enforced by the U.S. government, prohibits American government workers and their families in China from having any romantic or sexual relationships with Chinese citizens.  

The AP confirmed that a sweeping “non-fraternization” rule was quietly implemented just before Trump retook office. If the government doesn’t approve of your relationship, you either break up or lose your job. Welcome to Cold War 2.0, apparently brought to you by romance police.  

According to sources, if you don’t already have a relationship in place, you’re banned from starting one. If you break the rule? You lose your job. Apparently love, like facts, is now a threat to Trump’s America.