ASMA KHALID, HOST:
Thousands of anti-Trump protesters took to the streets today in cities across the country, including Atlanta, Boston, Cincinnati and New York. Take a listen to the scene from the nation's capital.
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UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTERS: (Chanting) Hey hey, ho ho, Donald Trump has got to go.
KHALID: NPR's Emily Feng was at the protest in Washington, D.C., and joins us now. Good to have you with us, Emily.
EMILY FENG, BYLINE: Thanks for having me, Asma.
KHALID: So what did you hear about why people are protesting?
FENG: They're protesting what they say is executive overreach by President Trump and his ally, billionaire Elon Musk. Here's a sampling of signs among hundreds that I saw at the mall today in Washington. There was one that said, quote, "you can't spell felon without Elon," another that said hands off due process, and this pun - are you tariff-ied (ph)? So the top concerns among protesters I saw today - inflation brought on by trade tariffs, the role that Musk has in the current government because he is not an elected official and also many kinds of worries about the expansion of executive power.
KHALID: You mentioned there, expansion of executive power. Did you hear specific concerns about that from protesters?
FENG: Absolutely. Here's Juliana (ph), a federal employee who did not want her full name aired because she's afraid of being fired herself. She was holding a sign that said, quote, "I need to be able to tell my children I did not stay silent."
JULIANA: This time around, I have concerns that I wonder if we will have an election, to be frank.
FENG: She specifically fears that Trump may seek a third presidential term, even though this is unconstitutional. This is expressly prohibited by the 22nd Amendment. Another protester I talked to, Austin Schriver (ph), drove in from Virginia nearby, and he and a friend were holding signs saying, no kings. And he said he was angry about executive orders cracking down on immigration.
AUSTIN SCHRIVER: If the president can decide that he's going to ignore the courts when they tell him he's doing the wrong thing, then the courts have no power to check the executive.
FENG: He's referring to this ongoing legal case where a federal judge says there was a possibility the Trump administration ignored his court order to stop deportation flights to El Salvador last month.
KHALID: You know, Emily, it seems like the left has been struggling with how to oppose Trump these last couple of months. We haven't seen the large-scale protests that we saw during Trump's first term. Today seems to have been kind of the first public opposition to President Trump's second term. I'm curious what you were tracking outside of Washington.
FENG: These protests are happening all over the country. There are about 1,200 of what organizers are calling hands-off mass action protests - you know, sizable demonstrations at state capitals and parks, city halls, etc - nationwide.
KHALID: Have you heard anything from President Trump about the protest today?
FENG: He's out playing golf at his club in Florida today and has not given any interviews. But the White House did say in a statement that his position is, quote, "clear - he will always protect Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid for eligible beneficiaries," though this statement did not address the protests directly.
KHALID: NPR's Emily Feng in Washington. Thank you for your reporting.
FENG: Thanks, Asma. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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