‘A nationwide intervention’

Madison joined large cities, small towns in a country-wide ‘No Kings’ protest of Trump policies

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Shortly before 2 p.m. Saturday, with a crowd gathering at UW-Madison’s Library Mall for the “No Kings” rally, a moment of silence was called for Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman and Sen. John Hoffman, both Democrats, who were shot earlier in the day in what’s being called a targeted attack. Hortman and her husband were killed; Hoffman and his wife were wounded. 

Later, after marchers arrived at the state Capitol, several speakers, including Wisconsin Democracy Campaign’s executive director, Nick Ramos, referenced the shootings. 

“There is no home for political violence in my America,” Ramos said.

The Madison rally, which drew an estimated 15,000 people, was part of a nationwide effort, with 1,600 No Kings events held across the country. They were organized to draw attention away from President Donald Trump’s military parade in Washington, D.C., and to protest the roughly $45 million spectacle that fell on the president’s birthday. Protesters also hoped to demonstrate nationwide resistance to the Trump administration’s policies on immigration, social welfare cuts and more.

Organized by Indivisible and 150 other organizations, the protests aimed to bring millions of people from big cities to small towns to the streets. 

“​​This current protest is to counter the idea that it's not just big city liberals who care about this," Pamela Oliver, a UW-Madison professor emeritus who researches social movements and protests, said in an interview with Isthmus earlier this week.  

Xander Godar, who will be a freshman this fall at UW-Madison, attended the rally as a member of the Madison Socialist Alternative. She said today’s protest was about fighting oligarchy, fascism and capitalism.

“It's time to organize your workplace, go on strike, go on walkouts, and make sure that your own voice is heard,” she said.

The Women’s March preceded the No Kings march with a “Kick Out the Clowns” rally at Library Mall, hoping to “turn satire into resistance.” Actors, dressed as clowns, put on skits that took comical aim at the policies of the Trump administration. 

“​​This isn’t a protest — it’s a nationwide intervention. We’re here to kick out the clowns, end the greatest shitshow on earth, and reclaim the big tent for democracy,” said Rachel O’Leary Carmona, executive director of the Women’s March, in an emailed statement. “This is where the ridiculous meets the resistance — and where the future is on the line.”

Shortly after 2 p.m., protestors filed onto State Street to begin the march.

Chants included “This is what democracy looks like” to “Free, free Palestine” as people marched toward the Capitol building. Some observers stood on the sidewalk or sipped on cool drinks at outdoor cafes, waving signs of their own. 

Speakers for the rally outside the Capitol included immigration lawyers, educators, authors and politicians. 

 "It's not about the people in power; it's about the power that's in the people," said Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock in a surprise visit to Madison. "Whether you work on the outside or work on the inside, let's work together."

Sen. Bernie Sanders made a virtual appearance, saying “We are going to stand together, defeat Trumpism, and build a country of the people, by the people and for the people.”

Many protestors marched with signs criticizing federal funding cuts to Medicaid and Social Security; others held Pride flags and signs condemning U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. 

For Donté, a United States veteran and UW-Madison student, Saturday’s protest was just the latest of several they have attended since moving to Madison in December. 

"Nobody should be afraid to stand up for what they believe in — stand up for what's right — and have a loud and open voice against things like hatred, xenophobia, anti-immigrant rhetoric, the genocide that's going on in Gaza,” said Donté, who declined to provide their last name. “Everything that people can look at and say, 'I know this is wrong.’”

[Liam Beran contributed to this story.]