Leading up to the 2024 presidential election, most people believed there would be postelection violence. Outlet upon outlet reported on polls revealing just how concerned Americans were that no matter who became president-elect, anger, frustration, fear, and acts of protests would follow.
A Scripps News/Ipsos poll found that over 60% of Americans believed this would be the case, with concerns highest in battleground states. And while serious violence has yet to be reported, the protests have, in fact, commenced.
Between Friday and Saturday, a surge of protests swept across the country in response to Donald Trump’s victory over Kamala Harris. Washington, D.C.; Pittsburgh; New York City; Portland, and Seattle saw hundreds to thousands of protesters who all gathered to vent their frustration over last week’s election results. Some of the points of grievance the demonstrators highlighted had to do with abortion, immigration, and the war between Israel and Hamas.
A number of protests included women carrying signs that promoted abortion. Outside of The Heritage Foundation in D.C., protesters held signs that read, “Well-behaved women don’t make history” and “Where’s my liberty when I have no choice?” They were also heard chanting: “We believe that we will win!” Similar demonstrations were seen in Pennsylvania where signs stated: “We are not going back” and “My body, my choice.”
In the Big Apple, a wave of people protested Trump’s proposed plans concerning the mass deportation of illegal immigrants. Signs read: “We protect us” and “We won’t back down.” Protesters also reportedly chanted, “Here we are and we’re not leaving!”
These cries come as Trump has proposed to enforce strict border policies to help manage the crisis that has been ongoing for the last four years. Millions of illegal immigrants have entered into the country under President Joe Biden, and Trump has stated his plans to deport those who enter America illegally while welcoming migrants who enter legally.
The protests in Seattle surrounded the war in the Middle East, calling Israel’s defense against Hamas “repression and genocide.” People in Portland, on the other hand, made calls to “Turn fear into fight” as they “Fight fascism.” An organizer with Socialist Alternative, Steve Capri, told WPXI TV, “We are afraid of what’s coming, but we are not going to back down. Trump is an attack on all of us so we need to unite, we need to get organized, join movements, study and learn together.”
These concerns come less than a week after Trump won the election by securing all seven battleground states, the electoral vote, and the popular vote.
In response to the outbreak of protests, David Closson, director of Family Research Council’s Center for Biblical Worldview, shared with The Washington Stand how it’s unsurprising that Trump’s “unexpected dominance” last week “provoked the usual handwringing from his opponents.”
He went on to say how, clearly, “there are many people who are upset about the outcome of the election, and some of these people took to the streets over the weekend to express their displeasure.”
“Ironically,” Closson added, “some of the policy positions protested are ones that will likely be unaffected by the incoming administration.” And yet, “for Christians paying attention to the news, we should be unsurprised that our friends and neighbors feel strongly about some of these issues” such as issues related to life, Israel, and immigration. “I’ve said it before, but politics matters because policy matters because, ultimately, people matter,” he noted. “As we head towards Inauguration Day, it will be important for Christians to embody the principle of Ephesians 4:15 that says we speak the truth in love.”
“As Christians,” Closson concluded, “we ought to have love for our political opponents who are reacting to an outcome that they are upset about. But we should also continue to articulate the policy positions we believe will lead to the most human flourishing.”
