Story highlights
Protesters across the country are raising a range of concerns
Some chant "Dump Trump," while others say "not my President"
Demonstrations against President-elect Donald Trump are erupting across the United States.
From New York to Atlanta to San Diego, thousands of people have taken to the streets.
The protests have been largely peaceful, but some have turned violent. In Portland, Oregon, police described one as a riot after vandals threw objects at officers and damaged cars.
Protesters are raising a range of concerns as they take to the streets. But they seem to be standing together on several key points.
Here are five things they’re pushing for:
1. ‘Dump Trump’
Many demonstrators have used “Dump Trump” as a rallying cry.
What does that mean exactly? It’s a slogan that first gained traction as some Republicans pushed for the party to cut ties with Trump. But now that the election results are in, it’s taking on a different meaning.
For some, it’s a catchy way to sum up their rage about the President-elect. But others are taking things a step further, signing an online petition and writing letters to members of the Electoral College, asking them not to vote the way their states did at the polls.
Could that happen? The Internet rumor debunking website Snopes.com describes the prospect as “extremely, extremely unlikely,” noting that it would be “wholly unprecedented in American history and would require a sudden and drastic change in the United States’ political traditions.”
The Electoral College itself has also become a focus for some protesters, since Clinton won the popular vote but lost the election.
2. Build bridges, not walls
Trump made immigration a focal point of his campaign, and it’s a key issue for many protesters who are against Trump’s vows to deport undocumented immigrants.
“I’m out here for my undocumented friends,” protester Spencer Smith, 19, told CNN in Atlanta.
At protests in Miami, demonstrators held signs that said, “build bridges, not walls,” taking aim at Trump’s oft-touted plan to build a wall along the US-Mexico border.
Is there any chance the wall plan could come off the table? Don’t hold your breath, Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, one of Trump’s advisers on immigration, told CNN affiliate KWCH this week.
“There’s no question the wall is going to get built,” Kobach said. “The only question is how quickly will it get done and who pays for it?”