Topline
Protesters targeting President Donald Trump and big money-influence over politics have taken to the streets at more than 1,000 “Workers Over Billionaires” demonstrations on Labor Day, including protests in Boston and Chicago that have attracted members of Congress and other elected officials, prompting a defensive response from the Department of Homeland Security.
The AFL-CIO organized the protests, which are expected to be held in cities in all 50 states on Monday.
The AFL-CIO partnered with dozens of organizations, including the May Day Strong organization, which led workers' protests against the Trump administration in May.
Protesters gathered outside Trump Tower in New York on Monday afternoon, chanting “Trump must go now,” according to videos shared to social media.
At the Trump Tower protest, restaurant workers are expected to demonstrate and serve free tacos—a reference to “Trump Always Chickens Out,” a derogatory nickname for the president.
In Chicago, where Trump has said he plans to send federal troops to crack down on crime, organizers have shifted the focus of Monday’s protests to rally against Trump’s potential federal takeover.
The Department of Homeland Security slammed the protests in a post on X, writing, “They protest against the deportation of illegals to foreign countries, yet wave flags of the same foreign countries at these protests. Interesting,” though pictures from the protests appear to show few foreign flags, but plenty of anti-Immigrations and Customs Enforcement signs.
The AFL-CIO said on its website the protests are intended to be a “celebration of working people” and a “celebration of the power we have when we come together in a union—the power to take back our country for working people, not billionaires.” Many of Monday’s demonstrations are expected to be held in small towns, not just big cities, which Saqib Bhatti, executive director of Action Center on Race and the Economy, told USA TODAY is because “it’s important to show that there is opposition to the Trump-billionaire agenda in every community big and small.” Becky Pringle, president of the National Education Association, which partnered with the AFL-CIO, said the protests will “demonstrate our rejection of corruption and lawlessness and predatory policies,” citing cuts to Medicare and tax breaks for the wealthy.
White House spokesperson Taylor Rodgers told Forbes in a statement: “No one has done more for working men and women than President Trump,” stating the president has “championed an agenda that always puts them first.” The White House also shared a statement on Labor Day from Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who said, “we finally have a President who fights and delivers for the American worker every single day.”
The protests are the latest multi-city demonstration against Trump during his second term. On June 14, several organizations hosted the “No Kings” protests in cities across the United States. Organizers estimated five million people attended the various demonstrations, and Politico called the protests the largest coordinated demonstration against Trump in his second term. Other nationwide days of protests, including the “Hands Off” protests in April and protests organized by the 50501 organization in April, were also organized across the country.
More protests against Trump are planned nationwide. What to expect on Labor Day (USA TODAY)