PHOTOS: De Blasio's Star-Studded Trump Protest Shuts Down Columbus Circle

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — In just one day Donal Trump will be the president of the United States. Even though the president-elect was once accused by Republican primary opponent Ted Cruz of having "New York values," an estimated 25,000 New Yorkers took to the streets Thursday night to protest the incoming administration.

Mayor Bill de Blasio and a host of activism organizations and celebrities organized an inauguration eve protest in front of the Trump International Hotel & Tower in Columbus Circle. The protest is expected to be attended by stars such as Sally Field, Mark Ruffalo, Rosie Perez, Alec Baldwin, Marisa Tomei, Julianne Moore, Cynthia Nixon, Natalie Merchant, Michael Moore and Shailene Woodley and activists such as Al Sharpton and members of Planned Parenthood of New York City, the Working Families Party, Families USA, Greenpeace US and New York Communities for Change, according to a news release.

“We’re about to have a new president, but New York’s values don’t change," De Blasio said in a statement "We will work with the incoming administration when we can and fight any attempts to reinstitute stop and frisk, create a Muslim registry, strip New Yorkers of their healthcare or change who we are as a city. We will respond to any challenge. This election was not an end, it is a beginning.”

Tens of thousands of New Yorkers — both anxious and angry about the prospects of a Trump presidency — attended the rally, which stretched from Columbus Circle to West 65th Street on Broadway. Protesters brought signs to the rally emblazoned with phrases such as "bump trump," "show us your tax returns," and "Trump there's blood on your tweets."

The protest was organized to "make clear to President-elect Trump and Congress what is at stake if they move forward with their suggested policies and remind them that New Yorkers will continue to protect our people and the environment. New York City and cities across the country will stand in solidarity with people fighting to advance the causes of racial, social, environmental and economic justice," according to a press release.

“Today thousands of New Yorkers came together for a powerful show of unity and action to protect equality, healthcare, all communities, and the environment," Actor Mark Ruffalo said in a statement "We sent a powerful message that tomorrow and everyday, New Yorkers and people across the country will stand together to resist President-Elect Trump’s discrimination and harmful policies. We are proud that Mayor de Blasio and other great city leaders committed to taking meaningful actions in our cities to protect people and address climate change."

Photos by Chloe Morales/Patch