Socialist Alternative in the US was out at No Kings protests across the country alongside more than 7 million people
More than 7 million people flooded the streets on October 18 for the “No Kings” protests to fight back against Trump in what was the biggest day of protest in US history. This topped the previous record held by the last “No Kings” protest on June 14. Tens of millions of people are absolutely disgusted and enraged with Trump’s attacks, especially the horrific assault on immigrants.
The past month of violent ICE raids in Chicago have made headline news, including a now-infamous raid during which agents rappelled down onto an apartment building from Black Hawk helicopters in the middle of the night. Immigrants are certainly at the top of Trump’s list, but it’s clear that his terror will not stop there, especially now that ICE has been given the Supreme Court’s blessing to use racial profiling to stop, and even detain, people.
The government shutdown is approaching its fifth week. Trump and the Republicans like to talk about cutting “bloated” government spending, but they’ve miraculously found $170 billion of taxpayer money to fund ICE and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Somehow, though, they can’t seem to find the money for SNAP benefits or healthcare for millions of the poorest people in the US. Meanwhile, Trump is personally shaking down his own Justice Department for a personal payment of $230 million to probably spend on something gold and shiny, while millions of children go to bed hungry.
The “No Kings” protests and widespread resistance to his invasion of Chicago have put Trump on notice and reflect the mass, active opposition that exists to his agenda. His net approval rating has been steadily dropping on most issues, especially the economy. Voters have also increasingly turned sour on the horrific execution of Trump’s immigration agenda, with 52% disapproving of how he’s handled immigration in late September. But we must be clear: polls alone are not going to bring down Trump. Socialists believe that the working class has the power to shut down business as usual and halt Trump’s billionaire buddies’ profits. This is what will really make Trump scared.
Mass protests like the “No Kings” national day of action need to be used as a springboard to build an ongoing mass movement that takes up escalating tactics to put more and more pressure on Trump’s authoritarian regime. We need mass student walkouts, mass civil disobedience, and, critically, strikes. The movement needs to take up concrete demands, like defunding ICE and taxing the rich to fund healthcare, that can inspire more people to get involved with the fight.
Escalate the Movement!
Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants, had a sign at the protest in Washington DC calling for a general strike to stop the government shutdown—a breath of fresh air coming from a labor leadership which has largely abdicated all responsibility in fighting Trump’s attacks thus far. But Sara Nelson and other labor leaders need to take up this effort in a serious way, and even if the shutdown ends, strike action, especially through the unions, is urgently necessary to stop Trump’s agenda. For starters, Nelson could call a meeting and invite the presidents of every national union, from across all different industries, to begin preparing every union for a one-day strike. Nelson could encourage rank-and-file members from every union whose leader doesn’t commit to participating to start petitions calling on those leaders to join the fight, and if they still refuse, to organize representatives to attend in their place. We can’t afford to wait, and the labor movement needs to put its full weight behind the anti-Trump movement.
At many of the “No Kings” protests across the country, the headline speakers were unfortunately Democratic politicians. Our movement cannot have any trust in the Democrats if we want to actually defeat Trump and the far right, let alone replace them with a satisfactory alternative. At the “No Kings” protest in Chicago, which was over a quarter of a million strong, Democratic Mayor Brandon Johnson called for a general strike against Trump. While it can be heartening to hear what sounds like militant strategy being put forward by elected officials, we can have no illusions that the toothless Democrats will lead anything resembling a general strike. It is the inertia of these mass protests that compels politicians like Johnson to adopt some militant but superficial rhetoric. The Democrats are strike breakers, not strikers—they notoriously crushed the railroad strike in 2022. The Democrats won’t build the type of militant working-class movement necessary to stop Trump, because they know such a movement would soon turn its fire against their own pro-capitalist and pro-imperialist policies just the same.
In many neighborhoods across the country, especially in LA and Chicago where there have been more high-profile ICE raids, neighborhood watch groups are being organized. The Chicago Teachers Union has even taken this up in schools, building “sanctuary teams,” and these types of defensive actions need to go further, connecting across neighborhoods and cities with unified demands and coordinated escalating actions. We need coalitions of resistance in every city, of immigrant rights groups, student organizations, faith groups, community activists, and unions, to democratically discuss strategy and demands for the movement: like student walkouts, coordinated mass civil disobedience at ICE offices, and strike actions to escalate the fight against this far-right authoritarian administration.
While it varied across the country, many of the protests were noticeably lacking young people and people of color. Many people, especially immigrants, might feel understandably terrified of showing up to a protest against Trump at this moment. Others might feel like it’s not clear what the protests will accomplish, and if they can actually stop Trump’s seemingly unstoppable regime. But if the anti-Trump movement developed a clearer, fighting strategy with the weight of the labor movement behind it, much of the existing fear or skepticism could be overcome.
Trump is a Symptom, Capitalism is the Disease
Socialist Alternative was out at “No Kings” protests across the country talking to people about building exactly this kind of militant fightback and ultimately the need to fight capitalism, too. In some cities, we led socialist contingents in the marches where we connected the need to fight Trump to the fight for socialism. In Chicago and Philadelphia, we led ‘Union Members Against ICE’ contingents, where union members called for no union labor to cooperate with ICE and for labor leaders to prepare for a one-day strike.
In Minneapolis, our members built support and collected donations for the teachers’ union’s strike fund as they prepare to potentially go on strike, connecting this to how the labor movement can fight Trump. Many people we spoke to were excited about our call for a new party, independent of the Democrats and Republicans. Protesters cited the deluge of attacks, from sending the National Guard into Portland and Chicago to dystopian ICE raids, as reasons for feeling the need to come out.
It’s clear that the capitalist system is in profound crisis, and working people face the brunt of it with inflation, high unemployment, authoritarian attacks on oppressed groups, and more. A united working-class struggle, across race, age, immigration status, and gender diversity, is the type of movement that could actually bring Trump and the ruling class to their knees.
Trump needs to scapegoat groups like immigrants and trans people to prop up this decrepit system. We can have no confidence in the Democrats to lead this fight, which is why our movement needs a new, mass working-class party of struggle, one that can build the anti-Trump movement in the streets and in our workplaces. Ultimately, we need to take on the whole rotten capitalist system that is fueled by capitalist wars, increasing authoritarianism, imperialist wars, and climate change. We need to fight for a socialist world.