Anti-Trump protesters rally in New York, Washington and elsewhere across the country

NEW YORK (AP) — Opponents of President Donald Trump’s administration took to the streets of communities large and small across the U.S. on Saturday, decrying what they see as threats to the nation’s democratic ideals.

The disparate events ranged from a march through midtown Manhattan and a rally in front of the White House to a demonstration at a Massachusetts commemoration of “the shot heard ’round the world” on April 19, 1775, marking the start of the Revolutionary War 250 years ago.

Thomas Bassford was among the demonstrators at the reenactment of the Battles of Lexington and Concord outside Boston. The 80-year-old retired mason from Maine said he believes Americans are under attack from their own government and need to stand up against it.

“This is a very perilous time in America for liberty,” said Bassford, who was with his partner, daughter and two grandsons. “I wanted the boys to learn about the origins of this country and that sometimes we have to fight for freedom.”

In Denver, hundreds of protesters gathered at the Colorado State Capitol with banners expressing solidarity with immigrants and telling the Trump administration: “Hands Off!” People waved U.S. flags, some of them held upside down to signal distress.

Thousands of people also marched through downtown Portland, Oregon, while in San Francisco, hundreds spelled out the words “Impeach & Remove” on a sandy beach along the Pacific Ocean, also with an inverted U.S. flag. People walked through downtown Anchorage, Alaska, with handmade signs listing reasons why they were demonstrating, including one that one that read: “No sign is BIG enough to list ALL of the reasons I’m here!”

Elsewhere protests were planned outside Tesla car dealerships against billionaire Trump adviser Elon Musk and his role in downsizing the federal government. Others organized more community service-oriented events such as food drives, teach-ins and volunteering at local shelters.

The protests come just two weeks after similar nationwide demonstrations.

Organizers say they oppose what they call Trump’s civil rights violations and constitutional violations, including efforts to deport scores of immigrants and to scale back the federal government by firing thousands of government workers and effectively shuttering entire agencies.

Some of the events drew on the spirit of the Revolutionary War, calling for “no kings” and resistance to tyranny.

In Anchorage, a colonial reenactor in colonial garb held up a “No Kings” sign while the person next to him hoisted cardboard that read in part: “The Feudal Age is OVER.”

Boston resident George Bryant, who was among those at the Concord protest, said he is concerned that the president is creating a “police state.” He held a sign saying, “Trump fascist regime must go now!”

“He’s defying the courts. He’s kidnapping students. He’s eviscerating the checks and balances,” Bryant said. “This is fascism.”

In Washington, Bob Fasick, a 76-year-old retired federal employee from Springfield, Virginia, said he came out to the rally near the White House out of concern over threats to constitutionally protected due process rights, Social Security and other federal safety-net programs.

The Trump administration, among other things, has moved to shutter Social Security Administration field offices, cut funding for government health programs and scale back protections for transgender people.

“I cannot sit still knowing that if I don’t do anything and everybody doesn’t do something to change this, that the world that we collectively are leaving for the little children, for our neighbors is simply not one that I would want to live,” Fasick said.

In Columbia, South Carolina, several hundred people protested at the statehouse holding signs with slogans such as “Fight Fiercely, Harvard, Fight.”

And in Manhattan, protesters rallied against continued deportations of immigrants as they marched from the New York Public Library north toward Central Park and past Trump Tower.

“No fear, no hate, no ICE in our state,” they chanted to a steady drumbeat, referring to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Marshall Green said he is most concerned that Trump invoked the wartime Alien Enemies Act of 1798 by claiming the country is at war with Venezuelan gangs linked to the South American nation’s government, even though a recent U.S. intelligence assessment found no coordination between them.

“Congress should be stepping up and saying no, we are not at war. You cannot use that,” said the 61-year-old from Morristown, New Jersey. “You cannot deport people without due process, and everyone in this country has the right to due process no matter what.”

Meanwhile Melinda Charles, of Connecticut, said she worries about “executive overreach,” citing clashes with the federal courts, Harvard University and other elite colleges.

“We’re supposed to have three equal branches of government,” she said, "and to have the executive branch become so strong, I mean it’s just unbelievable.”

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Associated Press writers Claire Rush in Oregon, Joseph Frederick in New York, Rodrique Ngowi in Massachusetts, Nathan Ellgren in Washington and Meg Kinnard in Columbia, South Carolina, contributed.

David Teague, a colonial reenactor, holds a sign that says "No Kings" during a protest against President Trump and his policies on Saturday, April 19, 2025 in Anchorage, Alaska. (Loren Holmes/Anchorage Daily News via AP)

People walk through downtown Anchorage, Alaska, to protest against President Trump and his policies on Saturday, April 19, 2025. (Loren Holmes/Anchorage Daily News via AP)

People gather outside the offices of Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan during a protest against President Trump and his policies on Saturday, April 19, 2025 in Anchorage, Alaska. (Loren Holmes/Anchorage Daily News via AP)

Demonstrators march in downtown Colorado Springs, Colo., Saturday, April 19, 2025, during a local Day of Action and Protest! demonstration outside the Colorado Springs City Hall. (Christian Murdock/The Gazette via AP)

Protesters brave the wintery weather as they demontrate along North Nevada Avenue in Colorado Springs, Colo., Saturday, April 19, 2025, during a local Day of Action and Protest! demonstration outside the Colorado Springs City Hall. (Christian Murdock/The Gazette via AP)

Protesters rally at the state capitol in Harrisburg, Pa., during the Day of Action protest against the Trump Administration. Saturday, April 19, 2025. (Zach Gleiter/The Patriot-News via AP)

Protesters rally at the state capitol in Harrisburg, Pa., during the Day of Action protest against the Trump Administration. Saturday, April 19, 2025. (Zach Gleiter/The Patriot-News via AP)

Protesters rally at the state capitol in Harrisburg, Pa., during the Day of Action protest against the Trump Administration. Saturday, April 19, 2025. (Zach Gleiter/The Patriot-News via AP)

A person waves a rainbow flag during a protest against the Trump administration, Saturday, April 19, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Protesters rally at the state capitol in Harrisburg, Pa., during the Day of Action protest against the Trump Administration. Saturday, April 19, 2025. (Zach Gleiter/The Patriot-News via AP)

Protesters rally at the state capitol in Harrisburg, Pa., during the Day of Action protest against the Trump Administration. Saturday, April 19, 2025. (Zach Gleiter/The Patriot-News via AP)

A person who gave their name as "Mistress Mei" chants slogans during a protest against the Trump administration, Saturday, April 19, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Amelie Gayoso chants slogans during a protest against the Trump administration, Saturday, April 19, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Protesters form a "Impeach & Remove" human banner on Ocean Beach during a protest against U.S. President Donald Trump, in San Francisco, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

Paul Ivanov chants slogans during a protest against the Trump administration, Saturday, April 19, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Protesters form a "Impeach & Remove" human banner on Ocean Beach during a protest against U.S. President Donald Trump, in San Francisco, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

Protesters form a "Impeach & Remove" human banner on Ocean Beach during a protest against U.S. President Donald Trump, in San Francisco, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

A person holds a sign in support of gay rights during a protest against the Trump administration, Saturday, April 19, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Alberto Rosales holds a U.S. flag upside down for what he calls a "symbol of crisis" during a protest against the Trump administration, Saturday, April 19, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

People hold signs and chant slogans during a protest against the Trump administration, Saturday, April 19, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

People gather to protest President Donald Trump's policies on Saturday, April 19, 2025 in New York. (AP Photo/Joseph Frederick)

People gather to protest President Donald Trump's policies on Saturday, April 19, 2025 in New York. (AP Photo/Joseph Frederick)

People gather to protest President Donald Trump's policies on Saturday, April 19, 2025 in New York. (AP Photo/Joseph Frederick)

People gather to protest President Donald Trump's policies on Saturday, April 19, 2025 in New York. (AP Photo/Joseph Frederick)

People gather to protest President Donald Trump's policies on Saturday, April 19, 2025 in New York. (AP Photo/Joseph Frederick)

People gather to protest President Donald Trump's policies on Saturday, April 19, 2025 in New York. (AP Photo/Joseph Frederick)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran wants to negotiate with Washington after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic over its bloody crackdown on protesters, a move coming as activists said Monday the death toll in the nationwide demonstrations rose to at least 544.

Iran had no immediate reaction to the news, which came after the foreign minister of Oman — long an interlocutor between Washington and Tehran — traveled to Iran this weekend. It also remains unclear just what Iran could promise, particularly as Trump has set strict demands over its nuclear program and its ballistic missile arsenal, which Tehran insists is crucial for its national defense.

Meanwhile Monday, Iran called for pro-government demonstrators to head to the streets in support of the theocracy, a show of force after days of protests directly challenging the rule of 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian state television aired chants from the crowd, who shouted “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”

Trump and his national security team have been weighing a range of potential responses against Iran including cyberattacks and direct strikes by the U.S. or Israel, according to two people familiar with internal White House discussions who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

“The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday night. Asked about Iran’s threats of retaliation, he said: “If they do that, we will hit them at levels that they’ve never been hit before.”

Trump said that his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran, but cautioned that he may have to act first as reports of the death toll in Iran mount and the government continues to arrest protesters.

“I think they’re tired of being beat up by the United States,” Trump said. “Iran wants to negotiate.”

He added: “The meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting. But a meeting is being set up. Iran called, they want to negotiate.”

Iran through country's parliamentary speaker warned Sunday that the U.S. military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if America uses force to protect demonstrators.

More than 10,600 people also have been detained over the two weeks of protests, said the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in previous unrest in recent years and gave the death toll. It relies on supporters in Iran crosschecking information. It said 496 of the dead were protesters and 48 were with security forces.

With the internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the toll. Iran’s government has not offered overall casualty figures.

Those abroad fear the information blackout is emboldening hard-liners within Iran’s security services to launch a bloody crackdown. Protesters flooded the streets in the country’s capital and its second-largest city on Saturday night into Sunday morning. Online videos purported to show more demonstrations Sunday night into Monday, with a Tehran official acknowledging them in state media.

In Tehran, a witness told the AP that the streets of the capital empty at the sunset call to prayers each night. By the Isha, or nighttime prayer, the streets are deserted.

Part of that stems from the fear of getting caught in the crackdown. Police sent the public a text message that warned: “Given the presence of terrorist groups and armed individuals in some gatherings last night and their plans to cause death, and the firm decision to not tolerate any appeasement and to deal decisively with the rioters, families are strongly advised to take care of their youth and teenagers.”

Another text, which claimed to come from the intelligence arm of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, also directly warned people not to take part in demonstrations.

“Dear parents, in view of the enemy’s plan to increase the level of naked violence and the decision to kill people, ... refrain from being on the streets and gathering in places involved in violence, and inform your children about the consequences of cooperating with terrorist mercenaries, which is an example of treason against the country,” the text warned.

The witness spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing crackdown.

The demonstrations began Dec. 28 over the collapse of the Iranian rial currency, which trades at over 1.4 million to $1, as the country’s economy is squeezed by international sanctions in part levied over its nuclear program. The protests intensified and grew into calls directly challenging Iran’s theocracy.

Nikhinson reported from aboard Air Force One.

In this frame grab from video obtained by the AP outside Iran, a masked demonstrator holds a picture of Iran's Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi during a protest in Tehran, Iran, Friday, January. 9, 2026. (UGC via AP)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran shows protesters taking to the streets despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.(UGC via AP)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran showed protesters once again taking to the streets of Tehran despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Saturday Jan. 10, 2026. (UGC via AP)