© Brendan McDermid / Reuters
Protests surged late Thursday across the nation, in New York, Denver, Philadelphia, Chicago, Minneapolis, Portland, and many other cities. The protests were in red states and blue states alike, with thousands of demonstrators marching through the streets for the third straight night following the election of Donald Trump. In Portland, police declared its demonstration a “riot” after protesters turned violent, breaking storefront windows and attacking a car dealership. Twenty-six were arrested, as the rally raged into early Friday. Protesters in Denver, Minneapolis, and Los Angeles shut down major interstates. High-school students in San Francisco chanted “not my president” while waving Mexican flags. In New York, many of the protesters centered around Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue. “You got everything straight up and down the line,” demonstrator David Thomas told reporters. “You got climate change, you got the Iran deal. You got gay rights, you got mass deportations. Just everything, straight up and down the line, the guy is wrong on every issue.” About 500 people demonstrated in Louisville, Kentucky. Hundreds more marched in Baltimore.
Trump tweeted in outrage Thursday night: “Just had a very open and successful presidential election. Now professional protesters, incited by the media, are protesting. Very unfair!” But by about 6 a.m. Friday, he appeared to change his mind about the protests, tweeting: “Love the fact that the small groups of protesters last night have passion for our great country. We will all come together and be proud!”