Thousands across NJ protest Trump policies at No Kings rallies

Thousands of New Jerseyans demonstrated in towns across the state Saturday as part of the No Kings protests to criticize the expansion of power in the executive branch under President Donald Trump — likened to a monarchy by many who took to the streets.

But the criticism of Trump by no means stopped there among the hundreds of protesters, dozens of labor leaders and a handful of Democratic officials gathered Saturday morning at City Hall in Jersey City.

They railed against arrests of undocumented immigrants by ICE officers, bemoaned billions of dollars in cuts to social safety net programs and criticized the rolling back of taxpayer-funded health care.

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"We do not swear an oath to a president," Sen. Andy Kim, a Democrat, told the large crowd. "We swear an oath to our Constitution. That's something that so many in Congress have forgotten."

About 2,500 No Kings protests were scheduled nationwide Saturday, including dozens across New Jersey in Newark, Teaneck, Closter, River Edge, Wayne, Montclair, Denville, Morristown, Caldwell, Newton and elsewhere. It follows the first wave of 1,800 No Kings protests that were held in June, the same day Trump observed a military parade in Washington on his 79th birthday.

White House: 'Who cares?'

White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson replied, “Who cares?” when asked about the protests this week. One Republican, Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota, called it a "hate America rally" that caters to the "terrorist wing" of the Democratic Party.

The scene in Jersey City was anything but. Parents wheeled baby carriages to the demonstration. Seniors held signs and sang protest songs. Several people dressed in inflatable costumes like the ones seen in Portland, Oregon to mock Trump's rhetoric that they are violent.

One dog owner at the Jersey City rally placed a sign around Latte, a small Shiba Inu, that read: "I bite fascists."

Marched through downtown Newark

In Newark, hundreds of demonstrators gathered near the Essex County Courthouse where New Jersey NAACP President Deborah Smith-Gregory urged the crowd to become more engaged in politics by registering and voting.

"We will not go cowardly into a dictatorship," she said to a roar.

Demonstrators then marched through downtown to the Peter Rodino Federal Building chanting "Trump must go!" as early arrivals to the New Jersey Devils hockey game at the nearby Prudential Center looked on.

"I'm here because I don't want my rights infringed upon," said Mary Walters, 72, of Newark, who walked the half mile roundtrip. "We've fought too hard for that to happen under Trump."

Organizers said it was a large-scale use of their First Amendment rights to criticize their government. The first round of No Kings protests in June in New Jersey were largely peaceful.

Among the organizers of the No Kings protests are the ACLU, American Federation of Teachers, League of Conservation Voters, MoveOn, National Nurses United, Public Citizen and SEIU.

Among those attending the Jersey City rally was Grace Smith, who held a homemade sign that read: "No Kings Since 1776."

"Seeing so many people here shows that we're ready to fight this administration," she said.

This article contains information from USA Today.