Tens of thousands of people descended on the nation’s capital Saturday for the Women’s March on Washington, joining protesters from around the world on the first full day of President Trump’s term in office.
About 200,000 had been expected at the protest to oppose Trump and push an array of progressive causes, but organizers told The Post that over double that number could turn up for the three-hour event, which kicked off at 10 a.m.
“You won’t get in. We can’t move,” said one woman talking on the phone near American Indian Museum.
After seeing the crowd coming out of the Judiciary Square Metro stop, a woman wearing a so-called pink “pussy hat” being used to symbolize the march said to a friend: “I think they underestimated this thing,” she said.
“They always do,” he replied.
The Women’s March would rank the march among the largest Washington protests in history, along with the 1969 anti-Vietnam War demonstrations, the 2013 March for Life, the 1995 Million Man March, and the anti-gun Million Mom March in 2000.
Feminist Stalwart Gloria Steinem addressed the growing crowd before the rally, suggesting the president showed signs of “mental instability.”
“I have met the people and you are not them,” she said Saturday. “Just this march in Washington today required a thousand more buses than the entire inauguration.” She said Trump and his allies have “found a fox for every chicken coop in Washington” in their moves to dismantle and roll back regulations
She warned that a “Twitter finger must not become a trigger finger,” referring to President Trump’s predilection for social media.
Also scheduled to address the crowd were Scarlett Johanssen, filmmaker Michael Moore, women from the Mothers of the Movement group.
The route will send demonstrators past the National Mall and the Washington Monument, ending within sight of the White House.
In New York, Boston, Los Angeles, London, Berlin, and 600 other cities, satellite marches are also taking place.
“Thanks for standing, speaking & marching for our values @womensmarch,” tweeted Hillary Clinton, Trump’s disappointed rival for the presidency. “Important as ever. I truly believe we’re always Stronger Together.”
This article originally appeared in the New York Post.
