The People’s March on Jan. 18, 2025 at the Michigan Capitol in Lansing. | Abdelafatah Mukhtar
During President Donald Trump’s first term, the Women’s March was the place to be.
More than a million protesters assembled in Washington, D.C., in 2017 right after Trump was inaugurated the first time, inspiring liberal demonstrations across the country.
In Michigan, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Attorney General Dana Nessel, U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit) and many other Democratic leaders headlined pink pussyhat-dotted rallies that became the hallmark of the anti-Trump “Resistance” and helped usher in electoral victories in 2018 and 2020.
My, what a difference eight years makes.
Yes, there were a host of People’s March demonstrations — the group has rebranded itself — over the weekend in D.C. and major cities, with activists protesting Trump’s plans for mass deportations, attacks on LGBTQ+ rights and rollbacks on reproductive rights. But they were a shadow of their former selves, with only a fraction of previous crowds showing up.
The most glaring change is the complete absence of politicians. At the Lansing rally on Saturday, more than 500 activists braved the cold at the Capitol, carrying signs like, “Resist, Persist, Repeat” and “I’m a Woman, not an Incubator.”
But not one state or federal elected official spoke or even appeared to be in attendance. Prominent pro-Palestinian, abortion rights and civil rights groups also didn’t have a visible presence.
No doubt many politicians and well-connected progressives were already down in Detroit for the Lions playoff game (which went about as well as the ‘24 election did for Dems). But that’s quite the statement of their priorities.
Ever since Trump won a second term, many Democrats have been struggling to find their footing as the jockeying for the 2028 election has already begun.
Some hopefuls, like Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and California Gov. Gavin Newsom, seem eager to pick up where they left off in 2020 and continue fighting Trump tooth and nail.
In response to Trump’s executive order attempting to revoke birthright citizenship, Pritzker told reporters on Monday that it was “unconstitutional,” adding: “We will not follow an unconstitutional order.”
Others, like Whitmer, have struck a much more conciliatory tone toward Trump this time around. While Whitmer, who served as former Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign co-chair, last year slammed Trump as an “existential threat” to the nation, she issued a statement Monday congratulating him, saying she looked “forward to getting to work on the priorities we share.”
The governor also ordered U.S. and Michigan flags to be raised on Inauguration Day in accordance with Trump’s presidential proclamation. Flags had been flying at half-staff to honor former President Jimmy Carter, who died on Dec. 29.
Even progressive firebrand U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) — who sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016 and 2020 — penned a column for conservative Fox News in which he tempered his criticism of Trump by making sure to note he agrees with the president on issues like prescription drugs and trade. Sanders even had kind words for billionaire Elon Musk.
“No one denies that we must end waste, fraud and abuse in the federal government,” Sanders wrote. “Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, for example, is correct when he points out that the Pentagon has failed seven audits and cannot fully account for its budget of over $800 billion.”
On Saturday at the Michigan Capitol, an activist donning a “Votes for Women” hat hearkening back to the suffragist movement played a large horn that carried the message: “Failure Is Impossible.”
It would seem that Democratic leaders aren’t quite so sure right now.
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