A rebranded Women's March returns before Trump's inauguration as progressives seek to regroup

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When Elisabeth Bramble and her sister got off the Washington Metro to join the massive crowd at the 2017 Women's March, it was one of the most empowering experiences of her life.

On Saturday, she will board a 2 a.m. bus filled with people from North Carolina headed to the nation's capital as the Women’s March takes place before President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration under a new name: The People’s March.

We're marching once again for our daughters and our granddaughters," Bramble said. "We're marching for our immigrant community. We're marching for our LGBTQ community.

Organizers claim that the revamped and rearranged march has incorporated criticism and moved beyond the internal unrest that engulfed the movement following the extremely successful march that took place eight years ago on the day after Trump's first inauguration.

Now, with Democratic Party leaders across the country looking for ways to reconnect with voters after last fall's disappointing election losses, the People's March organizers are aiming to expand their base, lay out a new course and go beyond a single day of action to help progressive voters feel at home within a political party.

This Saturday's demonstration is predicted to attract around 50,000 participants, significantly fewer than the 2017 Women's March. It's just one of several pre-inauguration protests, rallies, and vigils scheduled for next Monday, addressing topics such as abortion rights, immigration rights, and the Israel-Hamas conflict.

The People's March will focus on a range of goals including women's and reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights, immigration policy, addressing climate change, and promoting democracy, rather than primarily targeting Trump, said Tamika D. Madison, managing director of the Women's March. Under the new name, the group is also striving to gain more widespread support and represent the priorities of a diverse coalition of organizations.

We're recognizing the importance of putting together a large, diverse coalition that includes people from all backgrounds," Middleton said. "We're thinking about how to create a broad-based movement that can have people of all different racial, social, and gender identities, and bring about real change through voting in the elections in the upcoming years.

In 2017, the Women’s March was founded by a group of women upset about Donald Trump's presidential victory in 2016. The protest drew over 500,000 participants to Washington, with many more in cities across the country, resulting in one of the largest single-day demonstrations in U.S. history.

Photos of women in pink hats and with megaphones shouting out calls for public action became a lasting symbol of the inaugural march. However, this year, organizers and political analysts described a more subdued moment of reflection following Vice President Kamala Harris's defeat. Middleton admitted that many progressives are feeling exhausted.

The pre-inauguration period in 2017 was a time of "anger, frustration, and shock that someone who openly flouted our political norms and made derogatory remarks about women, people of racial diversity, and immigrants had managed to get elected," said Basil Smikle, a political strategist and professor at Columbia University’s school of professional studies.

“His disbelief manifested in more public displays of opposition like the Women’s March,” he said.

This year is a time of quieter reflection and strengthening support for communities that will be most impacted by Trump's policies, so lower protest participation makes sense, he said.

People are exhausted," Smikle said. "This prolonged resistance has dragged on for eight years, and there's a widespread feeling that things haven't improved.

The widespread dissatisfaction on the left is felt across the country as Democrats and progressivism enter a period of introspective politics following Trump's decisive victory and the Republicans gaining control of Congress.

According to a poll, the decline in interest in the election is more noticeable among Democrats, but it is also evident among Republicans.

About one in four Democrats said "stressed" described their feelings extremely or very well, while roughly a third said that about "gloomy."

Middleton noted that replicating the numbers of the 2017 march isn't the main objective. Rather, its main goal is to revitalize voters and draw in new participants to the cause after what she referred to as the extremely tough 2020 election season.

For a movement to be long-lasting, we need to continually bring in new people, which will help alleviate some of the strain on those who require rest.

In the years following 2017, the Women's March struggled with internal conflicts as the organization faced accusations of racism and antisemitism. Additionally, it came under criticism for prioritizing the perspectives of straight, white women over those of women of color and the LGBTQ+ community, leading to sponsors withdrawing their support and a change in leadership.

Raquel Willis, a transgender rights activist and co-founder of the Gender Liberation Movement, was anxious before speaking at the 2017 march because she "knew the history of trans exclusion within feminist movements."

There was a specific focus on concerns of white women," she said. "And there was a relatively limited discussion about white supremacy, capitalism, and issues of queer and transphobia.

Since then, the Women's March has become a “key partner” with her organization and Willis will return this year as a speaker, she said. Willis said she’s observed the organization go through a “leadership change.”

“She believes the Women's March has evolved and deserves an opportunity to reveal its new direction,” she said.

Looking ahead to the 2026 midterm elections, organizers say that one objective of the People's March is to help participants find a political organization to adhere to. The march will feature themes related to feminism, racial equality, opposing militarization and other issues, and will conclude with discussions led by various social justice groups.

Before embarking on their seven-hour bus trip to Washington, the Guilford County Women Dems and Friends gathered at a local bar in High Point, North Carolina, to distribute matching vests and create posters. The group started a GoFundMe campaign to cover expenses and give seats to students on the bus.

After the march, we're going to connect with people and build relationships to generate ideas about how we can make a positive impact in our community, right here at home," she said. "Once the march is over, we won't be stopping our efforts.

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Fernando reported from Chicago.

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