Labor Day in New York City turned into a loud display of political tension, as protesters rallied against former President Donald Trump while his team doubled down on claims that he’s done more for American workers than any leader in decades.
Around noon, demonstrators with RefuseFacism.org gathered at Columbus Circle before marching toward Trump Tower. The group made plenty of noise with music, costumes, and signs, drawing attention as they joined a second protest already underway.
“Through such non-violent protest and disruption, they find the means. It could be impeachment. It could be the 25th Amendment,” said volunteer Emma Kaplan, making clear that this was more than just a symbolic gathering.
For others, the protest was about deeper frustrations. “I’m all for unions, I’m all for equality, and we don’t have it now,” said Manhattan resident Nina Reznick. Fellow New Yorker Betsy Malcolm added, “I’m an attorney. I care about the rule of law. How did diversity, equity, and inclusion become bad words?”
Another group, One Fair Wage, staged its own demonstration at Trump Tower as part of what it called a “National Workers Over Billionaires Day of Action.” “For many years, the National Restaurant Association has blocked the living wage for workers, and it’s time we get a living wage for all workers,” said Naila Rosario, the group’s policy director.
The protests drew people from outside the city as well. A doctor from Vermont told CBS News New York that she came because of concerns about health care. “What troubles me is they are not following science and they did not listen when they approved Robert F. Kennedy Jr. We need solid science, cancer research, immunology, vaccines.”
For others, immigration policies were front and center. “What he’s doing with immigrants, we are all immigrants. We are all. It’s not fair what he’s doing, locking people up,” said Christopher Kelly Burwell of Crown Heights, Brooklyn.
Another Brooklyn resident summed up the mood of many there: “I think we need to keep making a lot of noise because Donald Trump is pushing boundaries and he wants to see how far he can go. Occupying cities like D.C. and Los Angeles, who knows?”
The White House fired back with a lengthy statement defending Trump’s record. “No one has done more for working men and women than President Trump,” said spokesperson Taylor Rogers, pointing to middle-class tax cuts, trillions in new investments, and job growth.
Press secretary Karoline Leavitt emphasized wage gains. “The average American worker has already seen a $500 wage increase this year alone, with no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, no tax on Social Security. Americans in all 50 states will keep more of their hard-earned money.”
She added that decades of “selfish, greedy, short-sighted globalists” had betrayed workers, but Trump had reversed that by centering trade policy on American labor. According to her, Trump-era policies brought in nearly $10 trillion in investment and created more than half a million jobs, with wages rising at the fastest rate in 60 years.
Meanwhile, Trump himself praised the National Guard deployment in Washington, D.C., calling the city “now a crime-free zone.”
Labor Day may have been meant to celebrate workers, but in New York this year, it became a stage for two very different stories: one told by those demanding change in the streets, and the other from Trump’s camp, claiming credit for a booming labor market.