Thousands march in Washington ahead of Trump inauguration

Thousands of people from across the United States gathered in Washington, D.C., to protest for women's reproductive rights and other causes they believe are threatened by the incoming Trump administration. This occurred eight years after the first historic Women's March at the start of Trump's first term, with marchers stating they were caught off guard by Trump's victory and are now determined to show that support for women's abortion rights, transgender rights, addressing climate change, and other issues remains strong.

The march was just one of several protests, rallies, and vigils planned ahead of the inauguration ceremony on Monday, focusing on issues such as abortion, human rights, immigration rights, and the Israel-Hamas war. Across the country, over 350 similar marches were also held. Demonstrators gathered in various squares in Washington, D.C., beating drums and chanting slogans under a gloomy sky and in the cold wind.

The protesters then marched to the Lincoln Memorial to join a larger rally and fair, where organizations at the local, state, and national levels set up information booths. They held signs with slogans such as "Save America," "Against Abortion? Then Don't Have One," and "Hate Will Not Win." There were brief moments of tension between protesters and Trump supporters. The march was briefly interrupted when a man wearing a red "Make America Great Again" hat and carrying a green camouflage backpack walked to the front of the procession. Police intervened and peacefully separated him from the crowd, while marchers chanted "We won't be fooled."

As protesters approached the Washington Monument, a small group of people wearing "Make America Great Again" hats and walking in the opposite direction appeared to draw the attention of a protest leader holding a megaphone. The leader approached the group and began shouting "No Trump, No KKK" through the megaphone. The two groups were separated by tall black fences, with police eventually gathering around. The rally, rebranded and reorganized with a new name, "The People's March," aimed to broaden support, especially at a time when progressive organizations were reflecting after Trump's decisive victory in November.

In 2017, after being angered by the results of the 2016 presidential election that Trump won, women flooded Washington, D.C., and organized large rallies in cities across the country, establishing the foundation for a grassroots movement known as the "Women's March." The Washington, D.C. rally alone attracted over 500,000 marchers, with millions more participating in local marches across the country, marking one of the largest single-day demonstrations in U.S. history. However, this year's rally drew far fewer people than the expected 50,000, only about one-tenth the size of the first march. This demonstration comes at a time of sober reflection when many progressive voters are feeling fatigued, disappointed, and hopeless after Ms. Harris's defeat.

"Before we do anything for democracy, we have to fight our own despair," said Rachel O'Leary Carmona, the executive director of the Women's March and one of the event's first speakers. The current calm was a stark contrast to the massive crowds shouting demands into megaphones and marching in pink pussy hats in response to the anger of Trump's first election, during the inauguration rallies. "The reality is that it’s hard to capture that lightning in a bottle again," said Tamika Middleton, the managing director of the Women's March. "That was a very specific moment. In 2017, we hadn't seen Trump's presidency and the kind of meanness that it represented."

Following the huge success of the protest, the movement fractured due to accusations of not being diverse enough. This year's rebranding as "The People's March" aimed to broaden the group's appeal. Saturday's demonstration promoted themes related to feminism, racial justice, anti-militarism, and other issues, and concluded with discussions hosted by various social justice organizations.