Hundreds of thousands of protesters spearheaded by women’s rights groups are set to converge on Washington Saturday to send a defiant message to America’s new president, Donald Trump.
The flag-waving crowds who turned out to cheer Trump’s inauguration will make way for a coalition of protesters who fear an erosion of women’s rights under the new Republican administration.
Powered by social media, the “Women’s March on Washington” aims to draw 200,000 people, illustrating the divisions of a country whose incoming leader faces levels of public mistrust unseen in recent decades.
Trump’s inaugural speech on Friday set the tone for his presidency: proudly populist, fiercely nationalist and determined to break with the legacy of his Democratic predecessor.
His first act in office — signing an executive order aimed at freezing Barack Obama’s signature health care law, before it is eventually repealed — was a potent gesture in that direction, with more such actions expected to follow on Monday.


