The No Kings rallies, and what's next
“Millions of us once again affirmed the foundation of the common good,” on Saturday, says Robert Reich.
There were 3,300 rallies “in all 50 states and every congressional district, including rural and Republican areas,” says Susan Page of USA Today. The organizers estimated that 8 million people participated.
There was a protest in West Palm Beach near President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort.
There also were protests in Amsterdam, Madrid, Rome. Paris and London, says Euro News.
Here are photos of the rallies, from The Associated Press.
Key takeaways from the protests, according to The New York Times: The war with Iran seemed to be motivating younger people to show up, concerns about immigration had jumped dramatically compared with previous protests, Democratic candidates in the midterm elections “came out in force,” and the “No Kings” slogan gained fuel as President Trump’s name appears on more landmarks and institutions.
A Times interactive says that since the start of Trump’s second term, use of his name, likeness, or signature has been approved for U.S. currency, commemorative coins, the Trump-Kennedy Center, the Donald J. Trump United States Institute of Peace, the Trump Gold Card million-dollar visa application, the Trump RX website for Americans to buy prescription drugs, Trump Accounts for children, the national parks pass, “Trump Class” warships, and F-47 warplanes (Trump is the 47th president).
The day before the protests, Reich posted the transcript of a webinar he said was particularly relevant to the No Kings protests: what Americans can learn from other nonviolent civil activism movements.
On Sunday, Reich suggested three ways to turn No Kings solitary into political power:
— Target vulnerable GOP senators and House members (he provides a list)
— Start organizing and mobilizing now to get out the vote for November’s midterm elections
— “Root out and challenge any Trump Republican attempt to intimidate likely Democratic voters or manipulate the election process.”
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