Labor Day protests across US included ones on National Guard in Chicago, billionaires' influence

Labor unions and advocacy groups staged hundreds of demonstrations across the U.S. on Labor Day to highlight what they call "Workers Over Billionaires" in the country.

As many as 1,000 May Day Strong protests, organized by a coalition of dozens of advocacy and labor groups, including the AFL-CIO, were staged in 900 cities, according The Hill newspaper. 

Protesters turned out in large cities such as New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., San Diego, and in pockets across states from Florida to Idaho.

"At more than 1,000 events across the country labor and community stepped up to demand an end to the billionaire takeover. Billionaires are stealing from working families, destroying our democracy, and building private armies to attack our towns and cities," May Day Strong’s website reads.

Thousands of protesters in Chicago, where Trump has threatened to send in National Guard troops and federal immigration agents to crack down on crime, chanted and carried signs opposing any federal law enforcement surge.

White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers told The Hill that “no one has done more for working men and women than President Trump.”

“President Trump believes that American workers are the heart and soul of our economy, which is why he’s championed an agenda that always puts them first — from signing the largest middle-class tax cuts in history to securing nearly $10 trillion in new investments to create high-paying jobs across our country,” he added.