Tens of thousands of people took to the streets across the United States in many rallies protesting President Donald Trump’s administration under the banner "Workers Over Billionaires."
Demonstrations spanned all 50 states on Monday, with protesters demanding stronger labour protections, fully funded schools, universal healthcare, housing for all, and an end to corporate corruption and federal overreach.
In New York, hundreds gathered outside Trump Tower, chanting for Trump to step down.
Brass bands accompanied marchers holding signs calling for a living wage and healthcare.
While New York’s minimum wage stands at $16.50, advocates note the figure is far below the living wage of nearly $33 calculated by MIT for a single adult in the city.
Even in Mississippi, one of the country’s lowest-cost states, the living wage is $20.75 — almost triple the federal minimum wage of $7.25, unchanged since 2009.
In Chicago, thousands rallied downtown against Trump’s plan to deploy National Guard troops to the city, similar to deployments in Los Angeles and Washington, DC.
"This is the city that will defend the country," said Mayor Brandon Johnson, drawing cheers from demonstrators waving blue-striped Chicago flags.
Protesters said they feared violence if federal troops or immigration agents were sent.
Across the country, rallies highlighted overlapping grievances: rising costs of living, healthcare, housing, and a sense that ordinary people had lost control of their economic and political futures.
