Mass demonstrations in several US cities after Trump's scandal with Zelensky

(Patria) - Protests against the Donald Trump administration broke out in several places in the United States yesterday, a day after the current US President and Vice President JD Vance had a fierce verbal clash with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office.

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in Waitsfield, Vermont, where JD Vance was vacationing with his family. Although the protest was planned earlier in the week, organizers stated that a large number of people decided to attend after witnessing the performance of Trump and Vance at the White House.

Those gathered carried banners with messages such as "Vermont stands with Ukraine" and "International disgrace," and many waved Ukrainian flags. Fox News broadcasted footage of the protests, but the posters with messages against Vance and in support of Ukraine were blurred.

"What he did yesterday... crossed the line," protester Cori Giroux told Vermont Public Radio.

Vermont Governor Phil Scott, a Republican who has not supported Trump in any of his three presidential bids, urged citizens to be courteous to the Vice President and his family before Vance's arrival. "Please welcome them to Vermont and I hope they have the opportunity to experience what makes our state and our people special," Scott said.

While Vance retreated to an unknown location to avoid protesters, some demonstrators highlighted the contrast with Zelensky, who, despite the Russian invasion, remained in Kyiv throughout the three years of war.

The clash in the Oval Office further heightened tensions. Trump then told Zelensky to reach an agreement with Russia or they would leave, and accused him of not showing enough gratitude for American military and political aid, warning him that he was "gambling with World War III."

Zelensky responded that he had thanked the American people and their leaders for their support multiple times, but that Ukrainians did not want to accept a ceasefire without security guarantees, given that Russian President Vladimir Putin had repeatedly violated previously agreed-upon ceasefires.

The clash in the White House was reminiscent of the historic argument in December 2018, when Trump engaged in a public dispute with Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer on camera in the Oval Office over funding for the wall on the border with Mexico. That heated scene was considered one of the most unusual moments in modern American political history, and it has now found its continuation in an even more tense international context.

Following the confrontation in the White House, numerous European leaders and the prime ministers of Canada, Australia, and New Zealand expressed their support for Ukraine.

Prominent figures from the Democratic Party also sided with Zelensky. Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut called the meeting in the Oval Office an "ambush" for the Ukrainian president, organized by Trump and Vance.

Protests spread to other American cities on Saturday, including New York, Los Angeles, and Boston, where hundreds of people took to the streets to show support for Ukraine and Zelensky.

Footage posted on social media shows hundreds of demonstrators gathered in Times Square in New York, with Ukrainian flags on their shoulders and in their hands.

In Los Angeles County, protesters gathered outside the SpaceX building, while in Boston, they organized an "emergency rally" with the slogan "fair peace for Ukraine." "Ukraine wants a fair peace. Ukraine wants an end to the war," the group Boston Supports Ukraine stated on Facebook, adding: "Ukraine wants all of this under fair conditions, with security guarantees."

Meanwhile, Zelensky boasted on social media about the warm welcome in London, where he was greeted by gathered citizens outside Downing Street, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer warmly embraced him.