Thousands of protesters gather in New York as Trump comes home for a visit

Thousands of people took to New York streets on Monday to protest President Donald Trump’s response to weekend violence in Virginia, clogging midtown Manhattan as he arrived for his first overnight stay in the city since taking office.

The president landed at John F. Kennedy International Airport about 8:15 p.m. Monday.

After a 20-minute Marine One helicopter flight to a landing zone near Wall Street, his motorcade whisked him to his triplex home at Trump Tower, overlooking Fifth Ave.

The three-day visit is likely to snarl traffic and draw more angry crowds. At about 6:45 p.m., police officers waded into the growing crowd and forcibly removed them from the area immediately in front of Trump Tower.

Trump’s return is spurring protests, particularly after he stopped short of explicitly denouncing white nationalists who gathered in Charlottesville, Va., in his initial remarks over the weekend.

After fielding criticism from both sides of the aisle, Trump on Monday declared that “racism is evil” and denounced hate groups by name.

While the president’s “working vacation” this week will be his first time spending the night in New York since his inauguration, Trump has visited the city since taking office. In May, he hosted Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull aboard the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum for diplomatic talks and a gala to commemorate the Second World War alliance between the U.S. and Australia. The president is expected to return Wednesday to his Bedminster golf course to finish his twoweek vacation.