Organizers say an estimated 7 million Americans, including tens of thousands of Virginians, took to public squares and streets on Saturday in a large, noisy and peaceful protest against President Donald Trump and the administration he leads.
Rather than being anti-American, antisemitic, pro-Hamas or any of the other labels that top Republican officials labeled them in the days leading up to the event, Saturday’s participants said they marched in support of the constitutional order — checks and balances, legislative oversight and the rule of law — eroded by this administration and its enablers in Congress.
That’s not a radical position, but rather a popular show of support for the democratic values that have guided our nation for nearly 250 years. Those who hold elected office, both Republican and Democratic, should understand and embrace that principled position.
In Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Williamsburg and other places throughout Hampton Roads, residents gathered by the hundreds and thousands to express their opposition to a deeply unpopular administration and a federal government they contend doesn’t serve their interests. In doing so, they echoed protests of generations past — including the “Bonus Army” protests of the 1930s, the Civil Rights marchers of the 1950s and 1960s, and even the tea party protests of 2010.
Those movements were similarly labeled as anti-American, a cheap knock that seeks to sap the power of patriotic Americans clamoring for change. Detractors argued the day would be ripe for violence — Gov. Glenn Youngkin unnecessarily mobilized the Virginia National Guard on Friday in preparation — but law enforcement reported that things remained peaceful.
It was believed to be the biggest protests in the United States since Earth Day in 1970 drew an estimated 20 million participants. Even though he dismissed protesters as “a joke,” the president was evidently displeased.
Ever a model of restraint and decorum, Trump posted an AI–generated video on his social media accounts Saturday evening depicting him flying a plane emblazoned with “King Trump” on the side. In it, he is wearing a crown and proceeds to dump what appears to be excrement on crowds of American protesters.
His contempt for those exercising their constitutional rights to free speech and peaceable assembly knows no bounds and this administration persists in its petulant, childish behavior toward its detractors. Trump supporters who argued in years past that previous presidents, such as Barack Obama, diminished the Oval Office are extraordinary hypocrites if they support Trump’s contemptible conduct while serving in that same role.
Of course, posting AI slop on the internet is the least of Americans’ worries about this White House, and certainly not why millions took to the streets this weekend. As evidenced by the “No Kings” slogan, they argue the president is not adhering to the Constitution in his unbridled assertion of executive power.
Since returning to office, Trump has deployed U.S. military forces in American cities; arbitrarily and capriciously slashed thousands of federal jobs and sought to dismantle whole government departments; made unilateral spending decisions without congressional approval; imposed astronomical tariffs without legislative consent; and ordered federal agents to conduct a deportation campaign that has included the arrest of at least 170 U.S. citizens.
These are legitimate concerns shared by a large swath of the country, and explain why recent polling puts the president’s approval rating at 37%. On issues that were once his calling cards — handling of the economy and immigration — more Americans oppose the administration’s actions than support them.
Whether this movement has the staying power or electoral muscle of, for example, the tea party movement remains to be seen. Protests such as Saturday’s will be remembered only as a lot of shouting and funny costumes if it cannot translate into institutional change.
But Republicans who twist themselves in knots defending this administration and Democrats who aren’t resolute in their opposition should pay heed. Saturday was a show of strength, potentially translating to the ballot box in this and coming years, and politicians of both parties would be mistaken to ignore it.
