Thousands of people joined the Women’s March on Washington DC as a show of feminist strength and to rally support for the person vying to become the first woman elected president of the United States.

In their chants and on their signs, those in the crowd Saturday local time found creative ways to express their feelings.

The move came amid national debates over legal access to abortion and women’s rights to make choices about their own bodies, ahead of the U.S. presidential campaign.

A few days before the vote, the demonstrators had several very clear and very intelligent messages for Republican candidate Donald Trump, including:

“We need a leader, not a scary tweeter.”

“Uncle Sam, stay out of my clam.”

“Roe, Roe, Roe your vote.”

“No sex with men until Roe returns.”

“Grab him by the ballot.”

“Sometimes you have to flush the toilet twice.”

The march was not a campaign event, but Women’s March organizers billed the event as a “powerful reminder to those in power that we are watching and demanding accountability – and that come November, women will win the White House.”

The event featured speeches from prominent activists emphasizing a future free of domination and violence who rallied the crowd before taking to the streets.

The march proceeded from Freedom Plaza, past the Washington Memorial and to the White House.

The crowd was mostly supportive of Democratic candidate Kamala Harris.

Women have been a key voting bloc for Ms. Harris, who hopes not only to inspire Democrats to get out and vote, but also to convince Republicans to switch sides.

She was recently endorsed by prominent Republican Liz Cheney.

Women’s marches on Washington became commonplace after Trump’s 2016 victory, and on Saturday crowds chanted, “We’re not going back.”

They accuse Trump of restricting their rights after he appointed conservative justices to the U.S. Supreme Court, who then overturned Roe v Wade in 2022.

The ruling removed the nation’s right to abortion and triggered a series of state-level bans and restrictions.

Currently, abortion is banned in almost all circumstances in 13 states.

“It’s a matter of life and death.”

Among the singing crowd was grandmother Penny Herlihy, who walked alongside a host of young faces.

She walked away to speak to the ABC, handing her granddaughter her hand-painted sign that read “EVEN WINE CAN’T FIX THIS.”

“I’m here for my daughter, my daughters-in-law, my five absolutely beautiful granddaughters and for all women everywhere,” she said.

When it comes to the race for the White House, Ms. Herlihy said the choice between the two options couldn’t be more difficult.

She voted for Ms. Harris as soon as she could.

“The opposition is a misogynist. He is an anarch. He is unfit to be a human being, let alone a president,” Mr Herlihy said.

“She will move our country forward. Unity!” » she said before her grandchildren burst into applause.

Lori Harris traveled to the nation’s capital from New Jersey to attend the Women’s March for its 20th consecutive year.

“I have nieces, I have granddaughters and, although it probably doesn’t concern me, women are already dying and I think it’s a matter of life and death,” she said.

“Abortions are not going to stop. They are just going to be less safe.

“It’s just about controlling women.”

But she’s not there just to defend women’s reproductive rights. Ms. Harris came to show her support for the installation of a woman of color in the White House.

“Trump is really dangerous. He’s a dangerous man,” she said.

“I’m a psychotherapist and a graduate student could diagnose it.

“And he’s really degraded – his cognitive decline is really visible.

“It’s a really dangerous time. I’m afraid, I really am.”

The return of the “Pussyhats”

Eileen Boyle, her twin sister Carole and two friends Mary Cahill and Kim Kroeger came from Massachusetts to Washington DC for the march.

“We felt we needed to make a final rallying cry before Tuesday’s election,” Ms Boyle said.

“My mother, at a very young age, was progressive and she instilled in us women’s rights and human rights, and we try to carry that torch.”

Speaking of the young women in their lives, Kim said, “We do this for them.”

The group found their original pink “pussies” and took a road trip to the Capitol.

The Women’s March began the day after Trump’s inauguration in 2017 and highlighted his rhetoric and policy positions. Since then, they have been an annual event.

At the time, some estimates put the size of the protest in Washington at nearly 500,000 people. Millions of people participated across the country.

This year’s event saw people come from as far away as Washington state, signaling a rebirth of the movement now that Trump is potentially just days away from winning another term.

Organizers had initially planned the events to send a message to the new president, whose candidacy has been punctuated by criticism over his attitude toward women.

Chief among these was the release of a 2005 video — known as the Access Hollywood tape — in which Trump made multiple crude comments about women.

In the recording, Trump could be heard saying “you can do anything” to women if you’re “a star,” including “grab them by the pussy.”

Subsequently, the distinctive pink “pussyhats” – which were the result of a nationwide homemade campaign and worn by many march participants – became synonymous with the movement.