Photograph Source: tedeytan – CC BY-SA 2.0

Thank you, Washington. What a great turnout.

Thank you, Indivisible, for your fantastic organizing.

Thank you to the millions of Americans, from our smallest towns to our largest cities, in every state in our country, who are gathering today at thousands of rallies.

Mike Johnson, the Republican Speaker of the House, called these rallies “hate America“ events. Boy. Does he have that wrong. Millions of Americans are coming out today not because they “hate America.” We’re here because we love America.

We’re here because we’re going to do everything we can to honor the sacrifices of millions of men and women who, over the last 250 years, fought and sometimes died to defend our democracy and our freedoms.

In 1776, with extraordinary courage, the founders of our country announced to the world that they would no longer be ruled by the king of England, who had absolute power over their lives. They demanded freedom. And to bring that about they fought a bloody war against the British Empire and the most powerful military in the world. Tens of thousands of Americans died in that 8-year war – but our forefathers fought on and they won.

And in 1789, after winning that war, they did something extraordinary. They established the first democratic form of government in modern history. They said loudly and boldly to the entire world: No more kings.

In America, We the People will rule.

And today, in the year 2025, in this dangerous moment in American history, our message is exactly the same. No, President Trump, we don’t want you or any other king to rule us. Thank you very much, but we will maintain our democratic form of society. We will not move toward authoritarianism. In America, We the People will rule.

When he was sworn in as the nation’s first president, George Washington called this attempt at self-government an “experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people.”

My fellow Americans: In an unprecedented way, that experiment is now in danger.

It is in danger when we have a president who wants more and more power in his own hands – and in the hands of his fellow Oligarchs.

It is in danger when we have a president who claims that peaceful protest in Portland, OR or Chicago, IL is an “insurrection” and calls in the U.S. military. And then threatens to arrest the mayors and governors who resist him.

It is in danger when we have masked agents working for ICE breaking down doors, throwing people into vans without due process and taking them to God knows where.

It is in danger when we have a president who sues and intimidates the media, who wants no criticism of himself or his policies and who undermines the First Amendment of our Constitution – the very foundation of our democracy.

Our country is in danger when we have a president who threatens to arrest or imprison political opponents who stand against him – including the Attorney General of New York State, a sitting US Senator and the Governor of California.

It is in danger when we have a president who undermines freedom of thought and dissent at our colleges and........

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