The Daily Fuckup

WASHINGTON — Thousands of people gathered in the capital on Jan. 18, 2025, for the People’s March and related demonstrations aimed at the incoming Trump administration, two days before Donald Trump’s second inauguration. Organizers and participants said the protests were meant to spotlight reproductive rights, immigration, transgender rights, climate concerns and democratic norms.

The main march drew people from around the country and moved through downtown Washington under cold January weather. AP reported that thousands were in the crowd, while organizers and local coverage described a broader weekend of rallies, vigils and protest events planned before the inauguration on Jan. 20. The demonstrations were not confined to one issue or one group. Many marchers said they were motivated by fears that the next Trump administration would move quickly on abortion access, immigration enforcement and protections for LGBTQ Americans.

Some participants framed the day as a continuation of the energy that powered the Women’s March in 2017, while others said they were trying to build a wider coalition around several overlapping concerns. The event was explicitly organized around a broader set of priorities than a single protest against Trump, even if opposition to his return to office was the force that brought much of the crowd together.

The size of the turnout did not alter the basic political timeline: Trump was still days away from taking office when the marches were held. But the protests made clear that his second term was beginning under the shadow of organized resistance in Washington, with abortion rights supporters, immigration activists, transgender advocates and democracy-focused demonstrators all using the same streets to make that case.