Ashamed US expats living in Spain are set to hold anti-Donald Trump protests across the European country. Demonstrations organised by expat group Democrats Abroad will take place in major cities including Madrid, Barcelona, Malaga, Seville and Valencia, on March 29.
The organisation said in a statement: “Our objective is to protest the actions and policies of the Trump administration. We welcome all nationalities to attend.” Carey Ramos, head of Democrats Abroad in Malaga, told the Olive Press: “The horrific actions of the past six weeks since Trump’s inauguration, both within the US and internationally, have motivated US citizens residing in Spain to speak up and get involved in whatever way possible. We hope that these protests will help demonstrate to Spaniards and citizens of all nationalities that a large percentage of US citizens (approximately half) are completely opposed to what is occurring.”
They added that Democrat-leaning Americans in Spain share feelings of “horror, disgust, anger, exasperation, deep sadness, and shame/embarrassment on behalf of our country”.
On the international stage, Trump recently sparked fury when he gave Volodymyr Zelensky a public downdressing in the Oval Office, where he accused the Ukrainian leader of “not wanting peace” during the disastrous meeting.
Trump later shocked the world when he hit “pause” on US military aid to Ukraine. He also sent tensions with America’s neighbours soaring by slapping 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called Trump’s decision to impose 25% tariffs on imports from Canada “a very dumb thing to do”.
Several US companies, notably carmakers, have factories in Mexico and Canada and therefore will be hit by the tariff hikes.
Domestically, many of Trump’s executive orders he signed upon entering office in January have sparled backlash. One order, titled ‘Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports’, bans transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports.
Before signing the order, Mr Trump said: “From now on, women’s sports will only be for women. We’ve got the woke lunacy out of our military, and now we’re getting it out of women’s sports.”
He has also moved towards revoking automatic citizenship for US-born children of immigrants in the country illegally, suspended the US refugee resettlement programme for four months and re-implemented his “Remain in Mexico” policy – returning non-Mexican asylum seekers across the border to await hearings.
The president also sparked controversy when he announced plans to pull the US out of the World Health Organisation, and for pardoning nearly 1,600 people who stormed the US Capitol in 2021 have been pardoned.
