Saturday, thousands of people descended on downtown Denver to exercise their First Amendment right.
It was Denver’s “No Kings” rally. One in a series of nationwide protests where attendees voiced their opposition to the Trump administration and its policies. Nearly 2,000 similar protests took place nationwide, scheduled for the same day as a military parade in Washington, D.C. to celebrate the Army’s 250th anniversary, which coincides with the president’s birthday.
It seems everyone had their own reason for showing up.
“It’s really important that we’re keeping families together,” said a woman who only wished to be identified as Jasmine.
“I’m really concerned about women’s rights,” said a woman who only wished to be identified as Leslie.
“Your people voted for you. It’s time to serve your people,” said an unidentified woman.
But no matter what issue was on the top of their list, all demonstrators agreed on one thing. They don’t like President Trump.
“Trump is a felon. He’s in office, and he said that he was going to go after criminals and deport the criminals, but in reality, he seems to be deporting a lot of innocent people,” said Jasmine.
“Donald Trump has to go,” said Leslie.
This is Leslie’s second protest ever. She says she wasn’t sure she was going to come at first.
“I come from the sixties and seventies, and the sixties and seventies were violent times, so I was a little scared to come, but my friend here said ‘come’ so I did and I’m glad I did,” she said. “The first one was nothing compared to this. This is huge.”
Jasmine says this isn’t just about disliking President Trump, it’s about loving where she’s from, the United States of America.
“We’re all here. We’re all trying to do something good for this country,” she said. “I think it’s amazing the sense of community that’s here right now is really cool.”
She and the rest of Saturday’s demonstrators say they hope this sends a message to Washington, D.C., and President Trump that the people of Denver want change.
“I do not think he will listen to us, but I think it’s necessary. He can’t ignore it completely,” said Leslie.
The protests come just one week after protests against ICE broke out across the country, but those weren’t connected to today’s events.
Nearly 2,000 “No Kings” speeches and marches were planned by volunteers through 50501, a movement that has held numerous national days of protest this year. The name stands for 50 states, 50 protests, one movement.
No Kings organizers said millions of people attended the nationwide protests, stating, “With hundreds of events still underway, today’s No Kings actions have already drawn more than 5 million participants—nearly 2 million more than the Hands Off protests on April 5.”
The White House’s Rapid Response 47 account on X shared a video of the president responding to questions about Saturday’s planned rallies. “I don’t feel like a king,” Trump said. “I have to go through hell to get stuff approved.” He told reporters, “We’re not a king, we’re not a king at all.”
In February, the president caused a stir on social media when the official White House social media accounts posted a mock cover of Time Magazine depicting Trump wearing a crown along with the words “Long live the king.”
After the end of the “No Kings” protests, the group PSL has planned its own protests against ICE.
