US citizens protest against Trump's policies

More than 2,500 rallies and marches are planned across all 50 US states, with organizers estimating that millions of people will participate.

Protest organizers accuse the president of creating an “increasingly militarized and authoritarian regime.” In particular, the outrage has been caused by mass immigration raids and the deployment of troops to Democratic-led states. Protesters say their goal is to show peaceful resistance to the Trump administration.

The first protests began at 10 a.m. Eastern Time in Atlanta, New York, Washington, and Chicago.

Ahead of the protests, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security sent an advisory to local law enforcement agencies warning of the potential for violence to escalate at certain events. However, the document notes that the agency "has no information about specific or credible threats."

The ministry advised police to “pay attention to participants with a history of using peaceful protests for violent actions” and those “who have undergone paramilitary-like training.”

Republicans have been vocal in their criticism of the protests, with House Speaker Mike Johnson saying the rallies "helped to bring about a government shutdown."

President Donald Trump said in a commentary on Fox Business that Democrats are “deliberately delaying the government funding talks because of these protests.” “Some say they want to delay (this issue) because of the king… It’s not the king… They call me the king. I’m not him,” Trump said.

The current wave of protests is the second this year. The first took place in June, when organizers estimated that about five million Americans took to the streets during a military parade in Washington.

At the time, participants opposed a number of administration initiatives, including the abolition of birthright citizenship, restrictions on the rights of transgender people, repression of student protests, and cuts to equality and inclusion programs.