PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Over a thousand protesters marched in downtown Philadelphia Thursday to oppose President Donald Trump’s policies as he visited the city to address Republican lawmakers at their annual retreat.
While Trump spoke during a luncheon at a downtown hotel, protesters outside chanted “Hey, hey, ho, ho, Donald Trump has got to go” and “Love not hate, that’s what makes America great!” Parents pushing strollers, people in wheelchairs and men and women of all ages and races gathered shortly after noon, proceeding toward the hotel from City Hall.
Trump’s first visit outside of Washington since becoming president -a day after the executive order and his call for a “major investigation” into voting fraud - was to a city that has vowed to stand up for undocumented immigrants and that Trump maligned as a hotbed of illegal voting in the final stretch of his campaign.
Waving Mexican, American and gay pride flags, and carrying signs reading “I’ve seen better cabinets at Ikea” and “Hands 2 small, can’t build a wall” the protesters could only get a block from the Loews Philadelphia Hotel because two large garbage trucks blocked the intersection.
Jessica Dong, a medical student at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, held a sign saying “White Coats 4 Black Lives.” She said her stomach dropped when Trump signaled the repeal of the Affordable Care Act.
“I work with hundreds of patients who depend on the ACA and Medicaid for their health care,” said Dong, who also attended Saturday’s March on Washington. “Prior to ACA … people were dying … I cannot stand by. We’re not going down without a fight.”
City officials on Wednesday balked at Trump’s executive order targeting sanctuary cities. Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney wrote an op-ed praising the city’s diversity, including a small business owner who is an undocumented woman from Mexico.
Kenny Luu, a Philadelphia native whose parents came to the country as refugees, said he chose to protest because he wanted to stand up for all marginalized people and to show solidarity with his fellow citizens.
“I was glad Mayor Kenney is standing up to (Trump),” Luu said. “It’s important people stand their ground and show … he doesn’t represent the people in Philadelphia.”
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Errin Haines Whack covers urban affairs for The Associated Press. Follow her work at https://www.twitter.com/emarvelous
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