Tag: protests against Donald Trump

His scattergun disdain appears to condemn as meaningless any mass objection that cannot result in the instantaneous withering of the intended political target. His reference to Ceau?escu, Mugabe and Mobutu as precedents for tolerating Trump’s state visit is equally mystifying. It could at least be argued (however weakly) that in their invitation lay the desperate hope of some leverage to be ventured against murderous tyrants otherwise immune to moral shaming, economic sanction or political threats. Offering such painful truths from within this so-called special relationship can be easily understood on both sides of the Atlantic as entirely legitimate objections to the man, not the office. Paul McGilchrist Colchester, Essex • I am sure Simon Jenkins regards himself as a voice of reason, and he is undoubtedly blessed with considerable intellect. Dave Hunter Bristol • Simon Jenkins’ cogent article on Donald Trump’s visit in June is extremely well argued. David Halley Hampton Hill, London • Perhaps it’s out of a misguided notion of balance that you’ve allowed Simon Jenkins to scorn protesters against Trump’s state visit, Attenborough’s climate change programme and Greta Thunberg. He says we need debate, not direct action. Debate is only workable when the participants offer and attend to evidence. John Huntley Manchester • Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com • Read more Guardian letters – click here to visit gu.com/letters • Do you have a photo you’d like to share with Guardian readers?

Over two years after Donald Trump was elected president in 2016, people opposing the presidency continue to share their disapproval of the president by adopting an anti-Trump culture; buying anti-Trump products and boycotting certain companies as an act of rebellion. Anti-Trump products are sold across the internet from websites like Amazon and Etsy to stores including Walmart and Macy’s. The majority of these products are clothing, such as t-shirts and hats, as well as other merchandise like balloons, mugs and toilet paper. Ben & Jerry’s has even released an anti-Trump ice cream flavor called Pecan Resist, a word play on the phrase “we can resist.” This is the company’s way of taking a stand against the Trump administration’s policies. Walmart was selling merchandise with the words “Impeach 45” on them, causing supporters of Donald Trump to claim that the store was supporting the “far left,” and some proceeded to boycott the chain of stores. Some Donald Trump supporters have even began boycotting Starbucks after the company’s CEO spoke out against Trump shortly after his election. The Democratic Coalition Against Trump (DCAT) has even created an app called BoycottTrump, which provides a list of companies, stores and restaurants that are either financially or politically supporting the president. Some of the businesses listed on this app, like Macy’s, Belk and other clothing stores, are placed on the list solely because they sell Trump branded items or have stores located in Trump buildings. However, there are other companies and organizations featured on the app that actually are supporters of the current president. Though the entire company itself may not support Trump’s presidency, the companies are listed on the app because of upper management support.

Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani has responded to the “Trump Baby” blimp that is scheduled to fly over London during Trump’s visit to the United Kingdom, saying London’s mayor should be “ashamed” for allowing it to go ahead. Activist Asad Rehman…

Organizers of demonstrations expected to take place across all 50 states on Saturday are calling for Americans outraged by Donald Trump’s immigration policies and the prospect of a supreme court swinging sharply right to put aside party differences and protest with one voice. “This is an all hands on deck, stop the madness moment. It’s not a red or blue thing,” the national protest organizer, Ai-jen Poo, told the Guardian. More than 750 events are planned across the country on 30 June, under the slogan “Families belong together”, to protest against the separation of more than 2,000 children from their parents in recent weeks after they crossed the border illegally under the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” crackdown. Poo said the protests were primarily for people who had been horrified at the news of the separations and detentions, but she said the cause would widen into a show of opposition against Trump’s travel ban, which targets five Muslim-majority countries and was upheld by the supreme court this week, as well as the threat of Trump nominating a hard-right conservative for the supreme court seat vacated by Justice Anthony Kennedy. The largest demonstration is planned for Washington DC, with many thousands expected to gather close to the White House, including Poo, who is a union leader and the director of the national domestic workers alliance, the Hamilton musical creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and other figures such as the actor and activist America Ferrera. Mass protests are also expected in New York, Los Angeles, Seattle and other big cities. This is a time when we reflect on where we are as a country She dubbed the administration’s immigration policy “zero humanity” and “a moral atrocity” and said the main thrusts of Saturday’s events were to demand that families be reunited, call for an end to “zero tolerance” and an end to immigration detention, even where families are kept together. Beyond the issue of family separations, the attorney general, Jeff Sessions, announced earlier this month that domestic or gang violence, which is rife in many parts of Central America and Mexico, will no longer be regarded as valid reasons for seeking asylum in the US. Susan Sarandon arrested at anti-Trump protest Read more Sarsour said plans for the demonstrations on Saturday had been given new impetus by the news last week that the supreme court had upheld Trump’s travel ban.

The Department of Justice has recovered missing text messages between anti-Trump FBI officials Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, the DOJ’s inspector general said Thursday. In a letter sent to congressional committees, Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz said his office “succeeded in using forensic tools to recover text messages from FBI devices, including text messages between Mr. Strzok and Ms. Fox News’ Sean Hannity had reported Wednesday that the Department of Justice had started to recover some of the texts. More than 50,000 texts were exchanged between Strzok and Page, Attorney General Jeff Sessions revealed Monday. The texts are believed to have taken place during the course of a romantic affair. Sessions had pledged to figure out how some of their texts went missing. Republicans, arguing some top officials at the FBI are politically biased against Trump, have seized on the texts. “We learned today about information that in the immediate aftermath of [Trump’s] election, that there may have been a secret society of folks within the Department of Justice and the FBI -- to include Page and Strzok -- that would be working against him,” Rep. John Ratcliffe, R-Texas, said Monday on Fox News. In another infamous message, Strzok appeared to make reference to an “insurance policy” against a Trump win. “I want to believe the path you threw out for consideration in Andy’s office — that there’s no way he gets elected — but I’m afraid we can’t take that risk.