Donald Trump thought he could seize control of the capital without opposition. Instead, he lit a fire across the country. As National Guard troops rolled into D.C. this week, thousands of furious residents poured into the streets in defiance, refusing to be ruled by what many are calling a fascist power grab.
After ordering National Guard troops into D.C. and taking control of local police under the guise of a “public safety emergency,” protests erupted not just in Washington, but in cities across the U.S. From New York to Oakland, thousands took to the streets, calling Trump’s actions what they are: authoritarian overreach aimed at criminalizing poverty, silencing dissent, and targeting Black and Brown communities.
“This is liberation day in D.C., and we’re going to take our capital back,” Trump said on Monday. He also took aim at other majority-Black cities: “You look at Chicago, how bad it is. You look at Los Angeles, how bad it is… Baltimore and Oakland… they’re so far gone.”
But from the instant his troops hit the streets, the backlash was fierce—and it’s only growing.
Monday night saw large-scale protests in D.C. But by Tuesday, crowds had gathered in Chicago, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and more. People banged pots, held signs reading “Trump Must Go Now,” and refused to stay silent as military force was used on U.S. soil against civilians.
“It’s a playbook he’s used in the past,” said Maya Wiley, CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. “Trump’s rhetoric paints a picture that crime is out of control, even when it is not true… then claims that you have to step in and violate people’s rights.”
Trump’s so-called emergency has become a spark for coast-to-coast resistance.
“This president campaigned on ‘law and order,’ but he is the president of chaos and corruption,” said NAACP President Derrick Johnson. “There’s no emergency in D.C.… D.C. has the right to govern itself. It doesn’t need this federal coup.”
“We have to be vigilant,” she said. “Regardless of where you fall on the political scale, understand that this could be you, your children, your grandmother, your co-worker who are brutalized or have certain rights violated.”
Melissa Velasquez, a commuter into D.C., didn’t mince words. “It’s like a band-aid to a gunshot wound. There’s been an increase of racial profiling and stuff… it’s concerning.”
Even those who support tougher crime policies are skeptical. “Trump’s trying to help people, some people,” said D.C. resident Melvin Brown. “But as far as (him) trying to get (the) homeless out of this city, that ain’t going to work.”
Dangerous Precedent
Monica Hopkins of the ACLU D.C. chapter warned that Trump’s federal intervention isn’t about public safety—it’s about political control.
“The president foreshadowed that if these heavy-handed tactics take root here, they will be rolled out to other majority-Black and Brown cities, like Chicago, Oakland and Baltimore,” she said.
Hopkins cited past abuses—from helicopters buzzing peaceful protests in 2020 to federal agents operating without accountability. “We’ve seen before how federal control of the D.C. National Guard and police can lead to abuse, intimidation and civil rights violations,” she said.
Cities Push Back
Local leaders are fighting back hard.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser called the move “unsettling,” dismissing Trump’s so-called emergency as political theater. “Residents know that access to our democracy is tenuous,” she said.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said Trump’s plan “lacks seriousness and is deeply dangerous,” noting Baltimore’s 30-year low in crime. Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee called Trump’s comments about her city “fearmongering.”
In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom already clashed with Trump earlier this summer after the president sent troops into Los Angeles without state approval.
Trump’s strategy follows a long conservative tradition of targeting cities with majority nonwhite populations. From Nixon’s “Southern Strategy” to Reagan’s tough-on-crime messaging, Republicans have often painted urban areas as violent and ungovernable to justify federal crackdowns.
Trump is now using the same tactic—but the public pushback is louder than it’s been in decades.
In response, organizers are mobilizing fast. Protests are growing daily, with Wednesday night “Bring the Noise” demonstrations—where people bang pots, honk horns, and raise hell—spreading to dozens of cities.
And a major protest is planned for Saturday, August 16, at 2 p.m. in Dupont Circle, Washington, D.C.
This isn’t just about D.C. anymore. Trump tried to take the nation’s capital. Instead, he may have sparked a national uprising.
