'Grab him by the ballot': Thousands join Women's March in Washington DC with messages for Trump

Thousands of people have joined the Women’s March in Washington DC as a feminist show of strength and to drive support towards the person vying to be the first woman elected president of the United States.

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

It came amid national debates about legal access to abortion and a woman’s right to make choices about her own body ahead of the US presidential campaign. 

With the vote just days away, those on the street had several very clear and very clever messages for Republican nominee Donald Trump, including: 

“We need a leader not a creepy tweeter.”

“Uncle Sam stay outta my clam.”

“Roe, Roe, Roe your vote.”

“No sex with men until Roe comes back.”

“Grab him by the ballot.”

“Sometimes you gotta flush twice.” 

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

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

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

The crowd was overwhelmingly in favour of Democratic candidate Kamala Harris. 

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

She was recently endorsed by high-profile Republican Liz Cheney.

Women marching on Washington became a regular occurrence after Trump’s victory in 2016, and on Saturday the crowd chanted: “We won’t go back.”

They blame Trump for the restriction of their rights after he appointed conservative judges to the United States Supreme Court who then overturned Roe v Wade in 2022. 

That decision removed the nationwide right to an abortion and triggered a series of bans and restrictions at the state level. 

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

‘It’s a matter of life and death’

Among the chanting crowd is grandmother Penny Herlihy, who turned out to march alongside a throng of young faces.

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

“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 could not be more stark.

She cast her vote for Ms Harris as soon as she could.

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

“She will lead our country forward. Unity!” she said before her grandchildren erupted in applause.

Lori Harris travelled to the nation’s capital from New Jersey to attend the women’s march for her 20th year in a row.

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

“Abortions aren’t going to stop. They’re just going to be less safe.

“This is just about controlling women.”

But she is not just here for women’s reproductive rights. Ms Harris came to show her support for a woman of colour being installed in the White House.

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

“I’m a psychotherapist and a grad school student could diagnose him.

“And he’s really degraded — his cognitive decline is really conspicuous.

“This is a really dangerous time. I’m afraid — I really am.”

‘Pussyhats’ return 

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

“We felt like we needed to do one last rallying cry before the election on Tuesday,” Ms Boyle said. 

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

When talking about the younger women in their life, Kim said: “We’re doing this for them.”

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

Women’s March began the day after Trump was inaugurated in 2017, and highlighted his rhetoric and policy positions. They have been an annual fixture since.

At the time, some estimates put the size of the demonstration in Washington at almost 500,000 people. Millions participated around the country.

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

Organisers originally planned the events to send a message to the new president, whose candidacy was punctuated by criticisms about his attitude towards women.

At the forefront of those was the publication of a video from 2005 – known as the Access Hollywood tape – which involved Trump making multiple crude comments about women.

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

Subsequently, distinctive pink “pussyhats” — which were the result of a countrywide craft campaign and donned by many march attendees — became synonymous with the movement.