The speech, Perez’s first appearance at a demonstration after winning a contentious race to lead the party last month, delivered on a campaign promise to bring the Democratic Party closer to the grassroots, anti-Trump activism movement.
Advertisement
“We’ve spent so much time since January 20th, we see America at its worst, but then we come here and we see America at its best,” Perez told a crowd of hundreds in Lafayette Square Park in front of the White House. “I see people all over this country standing up and taking notice and saying, ‘You know what, Mr. Trump, history has its eye on you. And you know what, Mr. Trump, America is at its best when we are building bridges of opportunity and not walls of distrust.’”
Trump’s travel ban, which freezes refugee admissions for 120 days, resonated with Perez, the DNC’s first Latino chair, because his grandparents left the Dominican Republic to escape a “brutal dictator,” he said.
“America was that land of opportunity, just like it’s been for everybody else,” Perez said. “And that is why for me, this isn’t just a matter of interpretation of the Constitution, it is about who we are as a nation.”
The rally was organized by Yasmine Taeb, a human rights lobbyist for the Friends Committee on National Legislation, a Quaker advocacy organization, and featured more than a dozen other speakers from progressive and civil rights groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, Our Revolution, MoveOn.org, Lambda Legal, National People’s Action and the Jewish group Bend the Arc.
Advertisement
Perez said at a Jan. 18 debate sponsored by The Huffington Post that the Democratic Party should be involved in “protests” and “direct action” against Trump. Ten days later, he joined a protest against Trump’s first travel ban at the airport in Houston.
Perez has taken pains to assuage the concerns of party leaders who backed his chief rival, Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison, immediately naming Ellison deputy DNC chair.
Taeb, a Democratic national committeewoman from Virginia who voted for Ellison, invited Perez to the rally. She said he canceled a previous engagement to attend.
“That to me shows that he really values what the grassroots thinks and says, and he wants to make sure that he’s standing with us as we’re protesting and resisting,” Taeb said. “He not only spoke, but he actually stayed, and that, to me, means a lot.”
Advertisement
There were no significant disturbances at the hastily arranged event, which drew local activists holding homemade signs with messages like, “Deport White Nationalists.”
Initially rally organizers convened at the edge of the sidewalk directly in front of the White House, but, without explanation, the Secret Service closed that part of the park. In response, there were shouts of “shame” and groans from many activists, but leaders and speakers quietly complied.
Trump’s new travel ban, which goes into effect on March 16, is a significant climb-down from the expansive order in late January that embroiled the country’s airports in chaos. That travel ban was stopped in federal court a few days after it was enacted.
The new ban will prohibit entry for non-visa holders from Iran, Sudan, Somalia, Yemen, Libya and Syria for 90 days. Unlike the first prohibition, it will not apply to Iraq or to people with visas that predate the ban. It also does not exempt religious minorities from the refugee admission freeze.
Those at Monday evening’s demonstration made clear, however, that they do not see this order as fundamentally different than the first. They argued that the countries Trump singled out, all of which are majority-Muslim, shows that the intent of the order is still to keep Muslims out.
Advertisement
Joanne Lin, legislative counsel at the ACLU’s Washington office, called the executive order, Trump’s “second Muslim ban” and predicted it would meet a fate similar to the first.
“For some reason, President Trump and his advisers like losing and they like losing badly, over and over again,” Lin said.
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.