Defying the cold, thousands of New Yorkers gathered at Union Square on Presidents’ Day, in a demonstration sponsored by Rise and Resist and 50501, to protest Queens native Donald Trump’s disregard for the Constitution and Elon Musk’s status as an unelected government overlord. Much of the shouting and chanting centered on Trump’s executive orders attacking DEI initiatives, reproductive rights, and immigrants and transgender citizens, his vindictive purges — including of key government watchdogs and crucial health-care information on federal websites — and numerous other, probably extra-judicial, actions taken since his second inauguration. The lively but peaceful protesters marched from Union Square to Washington Square Park accompanied by drums, cowbells, chants — “Stop the Coup,” “No Trump, No Fascism, No KKK” — and a multitude of signs — “Hands Off My Body,” “We the People,” “ICE Is Not Welcome Here,” “Down With the King,” and countless variations on “Resist.” ❖
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∼ ∼ ∼ This article is part of a series—At 250, Who Will America Be?—reporting on threats to American democracy as we approach the nation’s Semiquincentennial, on July 4, 2026. ∼ ∼ ∼
