Huge rallies oppose Trump moves

Tens of thousands of protesters flooded the streets of major US cities to oppose the divisive policies of President Donald Trump, in the largest demonstrations since his return to the White House.

Rallies were organized for more than 1,200 locations in all 50 states by more than 150 groups, including civil rights organizations, labor unions, LBGTQ+ advocates, veterans and elections activists decrying Trump's and billionaire Elon Musk's actions on the economy, immigration and human rights. The rallies even extended to some European capitals.

Trump has angered many Americans by moving aggressively to downsize the government, unilaterally impose conservative values and sharply pressure even friendly countries over borders and trade, causing stock markets to tank.

Organizers for the Washington rally had predicted a turnout of 20,000 but later on they said the number appeared considerably larger.

Trump's approval rating has fallen to its lowest since taking office.

But despite global pushback to his sweeping tariffs and bubbling resentment from many Americans, the White House has dismissed the protests.

The Republican president, still popular with his base, shows no sign of relenting.

"My policies will never change," Trump said.

Meanwhile, Chinese state-run media has taken to the internet with AI-generated videos featuring dancing robots and fraught consumers, to chide Trump and tariffs they say threaten high inflation and economic distress for Americans.

"Liberation Day, you promised us the stars. But tariffs killed our cheap Chinese cars," an automated female voice sings in a video on CGTN's website over a shot of a woman at a kitchen table staring at an empty fork.

Referring to Trump's use of "Liberation Day" for his tariff announcement, the clip was captioned with a warning: "Track is AI-generated. The debt crisis? 100 percent human-made."

Another video posted on Xinhua's X.com page, also made with artificial intelligence, shows a robot named Tariff that chooses to self-destruct rather than follow its creator's orders for high tariffs that bring "trade wars and unrest."

China has sharply criticized the US tariffs, retaliating on Friday with import duties and export curbs of its own - announcing commensurate levies on all American goods and export controls on rare earths, dealing a fresh blow to global markets. Starting April 10, China will impose a 34 percent tariff on all imports from the US, among other measures.

Reactions across the world have varied.

Taiwan's government has criticized the 32 percent levy Trump imposed on the island as "unfair" and "highly unreasonable".

India and Indonesia also do not plan to retaliate but the European Commission is preparing to hit US products with extra duties following China's retaliation.

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