Thousands of people marched through Center City on Saturday to protest federal actions taken by the second administration of President and 1968 Wharton graduate Donald Trump.
The Oct. 18 Philadelphia protest was part of a series of over 2,700 demonstrations across the country. Protesters chanted anti-Trump slogans and held signs as they marched down Market Street from City Hall, gathering at Independence Mall to listen to several members of Congress and Philadelphia community organizers speak.
A press release shared by the “No Kings Coalition” described the event as “one of the largest single-day nationwide demonstrations in U.S. history” and emphasized that the protests were “lawful and peaceful.”
The crowd — which Philadelphia police estimated was over 15,000 people — stretched from Independence Hall to the National Constitution Center. Multiple speakers invoked the historical sites surrounding the stage in their remarks, likening the Trump administration’s actions to those of King George III ahead of the American Revolution.
“You know, almost exactly 250 years ago, right behind me, our nation’s founders gathered because a crazy, out of control, dictatorial king was abusing their rights,” U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.) said. “As a kid, I always wondered what that must have been like. I don’t think we wonder about that anymore.”
U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) similarly compared the administration’s actions to “King George’s long train of abuses” listed in the Declaration of Independence.
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Several speakers also responded to House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) comments characterizing the anti-Trump protests as “hate America” rallies.
“We hate Donald Trump's attempts to be a dictator, but we love America,” 1984 University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School graduate and U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.) said. “We hate the cruelty and terror that Donald Trump and Stephen Miller have unleashed on our communities with masked men and armed troops, but we love America.”
The speakers also criticized the government shutdown and encouraged protest attendees to vote in the upcoming local elections.
Several members of Penn Democrats attended the demonstration.
“I’m really inspired by the great turnout that I'm seeing, although I do wish that I saw a lot more young people, like college students like us,” College senior and Penn Dems President Eunho Jung told The Daily Pennsylvanian at the protest. “I heard this is going to be the largest protest in American history, so that’s very cool, and I’m glad that I’m going to be a part of it.”
College first year and Penn Democrats senior deputy Shannon Katzenberger similarly likened the protest movement to the American Revolution.
“I’m here because we in this city kicked out a fascist almost [250] years ago, and we are not going to let a fascist come back into power in 2025,” she said.
