Several significant figures, including Mark Ruffalo and Susan Sarandon, joined a vast crowd of New Yorkers, voicing their dissent against Donald Trump’s presidency. The demonstration took place on the same day as the monumental military parade commemorating U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary, June 14, 2025. The city of skyscrapers was not alone in this display of defiance, with hundreds of other marches and protests surfacing nationwide, amplifying the resistance against the Trump administration.
Adding an intriguing layer to the narrative, the day of the parade coincided with President Trump’s birthday, further sparking the nation’s attention and curiosity. Renowned actor, Mark Ruffalo, a figurehead in the assembly, held nothing back as he vocally illustrated his critique of socioeconomic and racial divides, arguing that crimes in the U.S. were being enacted not by immigrants but rather by unchecked wealthy individuals and Caucasians.
Eloquent and unhesitating, Ruffalo articulated the concerns of many citizens in his plea to ‘reclaim our country from the disproportionate influence that extreme affluence has over our institutions’. He envisioned an America that flourished as a democracy designed to serve the people’s needs, rather than a system manipulated in favor of the ultra-rich.
In a rousing stance of defiance, he participated in the ‘No Kings’ rally in the heart of New York City during the weekend, further elevating his battle against Trump’s presidency. The acclaimed actor pulled no punches as he detailed his grievances against what he framed as a monarchy that’s encroaching upon vital democratic norms, rights, and freedoms.
Ruffalo described the current situation as a caricature of a medieval court, with a self-serving ruler, his obedient courtiers, and his complicit underlings. These figures, Ruffalo argued, are exploiting the system, engorging their wealth at the taxpayers’ expense, and compromising national security in their admiration for autocratic leaders and dictatorships around the world.
‘We are being ruled by a monarch, surrounded by his courtesans and beige cronies,’ he declared, ‘and they’re desecrating our rights, our regulations, and our liberties, making themselves more prosperous with our tax money, and leaving us vulnerable through their appreciation for fellow authoritarians and tyrants.’
Dressed in a hat adorned with the word, ‘Immigrant’, Ruffalo honed in on the issue of immigration, countering popular misconceptions while advocating for their role in the national economy. He proclaimed that immigrants are a significant economic asset, injecting billions of dollars into the system.
The actor then pivoted to critique the narrative promoted by some that erroneously links crime rates with immigrants. Scrutinising the data, Ruffalo contends that majority of offenses are perpetuated by white individuals, a fact he insists shouldn’t be downplayed or ignored when discussing domestic crime rates.
Underscoring his argument, Ruffalo shed light upon the consequences of scapegoating immigrants for societal issues. He affirmed that the penchant to blame immigrants for crimes is a misdirection, a distraction from addressing the significant role that wealthy individuals and Caucasians play in domestic crime.
The role of the Trump administration in propagating this fallacious narrative was another focal point of Ruffalo’s impassioned speech. He stressed that this tactic of scapegoating immigrants purposefully overshadows the responsibility being shouldered by wealthy individuals and whites, creating a flawed narrative that further divides the nation.