Palm Beach County’s north courthouse located in Palm Beach Gardens will be the site of one of more than 1,000 “Workers over Billionaires” protests taking place nationwide over the Labor Day weekend.
The event, which begins at 10 a.m. Sept. 1 and is expected to last until noon, follows the “No Kings” protests in June and the “Good Trouble” gatherings in July that called attention to the policies of President Donald Trump and pushed for change.
This one calls attention to income disparities in the United States and the idea that Trump’s policies and tax cuts favor the wealthy — like Trump himself, a real estate developer and TV star before he took office — over working people.
‘Workers vs. Billionaires’: Trump’s policies at heart of protest
Critics point to his “big, beautiful bill’ that made many of his first-term tax cuts permanent and imposed new requirements for safety-net programs like Medicaid, the health insurance program for the poor and people with disabilities, and SNAP benefits, which provides food to households of lower incomes.
They also say the cuts to federal spending driven by billionaire adviser Elon Musk have removed crucial positions from multiple government agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Weather Service.
“Workers Over Billionaires is a rejection of the corruption, lawlessness, and predatory politics of the billionaire agenda taking over our government,” a spokesperson for the advocacy group May Day Strong, which is organizing the event, wrote in a prepared statement.
“This Labor Day we are building on the long legacy of workers and community coming together to fight for a country that is more fair, just, equitable, and free for all of us — and not just a chosen few.”
The White House did not respond to a request for comment on the protests. Instead, it issued a quote from White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt about Labor Day.
“We finally have a President who fights and delivers for the American worker every single day,” Leavitt’s statement said.
‘Billionaires’ protest calls for Medicaid, Social Security to be saved
The rally in Palm Beach Gardens will involve people waving signs toward motorists driving by, according to a spokesperson. There will be no speakers at the event.
Protesters said they will call for the federal government to protect Medicaid, Social Security and other safety-net programs from budget cuts.
They also will call for an end to cutbacks to school, health care and housing budgets and an end to “the attacks on immigrants, Black, indigenous, trans people and all our communities.”
Since April, people have gathered monthly to protest against the administration’s policies. Both the “No Kings” and “Good Trouble” protests drew thousands of participants.
Trump is not scheduled to be at his Mar-a-Lago mansion in Palm Beach, which he and others have dubbed the Winter White House, during the Labor Day weekend.
May Day Strong is among the organizers of the events nationwide, along with labor organizations such as the AFL-CIO and other advocacy groups such as Public Citizen and Indivisible.
The courthouse complex is at PGA Boulevard and Campus Drive, just south of The Gardens Mall.
The Sept. 1 protest is scheduled on the last day of what is expected to be a rainy holiday weekend in South Florida.
The forecast for Palm Beach Gardens puts the chances of rain at 80% but said most showers and thunderstorms would happen in the afternoon.
USA TODAY contributed to this story.
Maya Washburn covers northern Palm Beach County for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida-Network. Reach her at mwashburn@pbpost.com. Support local journalism: Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: ‘Workers over Billionaires’: Anti-Trump protest set for Labor Day in Palm Beach Gardens
Reporting by Maya Washburn, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
