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March 5 (UPI) -- Thousands of people in cities across the United States turned out to show their support of President Donald Trump this weekend. USA Today reported "March 4 Trump" and "Spirit of America" rallies were planned in 50 locations Saturday, including New York, Nashville, Phoenix, Boston, Denver, Miami, St. Paul and Berkeley.
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Organizers said they wanted to vocalize their approval of the job that Trump has been doing and to push back against what they described as "a seditious fringe" working against the new commander-in-chief.
"They aren't giving him a chance," local organizer Patty Collins told The Indianapolis Star. "We are here to show support for the president of the United States."
NPR News noted many of the rallies were met with anti-Trump protests, however, with some of the opposing demonstrators chanting, "No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA!" outside the Texas State Capitol in Austin, for example.
Supporters and protesters hurled insults at each other and some engaged in fist fights, but for the most part, the various events remained peaceful, NPR noted.
NBC Bay Area said the "March 4 Trump" rally in Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park in Berkeley ended in 10 arrests and at least three injuries due to skirmishes between attendees.
Republican Trump, a real-estate mogul and former reality television star, took office in January after a contentious 2016 election, which saw him win the electoral, but not the popular vote, against Democrat Hillary Clinton. His brief presidency has been met with widespread protests from people who object to his stance on illegal immigration and his planned repeal of the Affordable Care Act.
