A “No Kings” protest at the Vermont Statehouse on Saturday, June 14, began and ended relatively quietly. The roughly 1,500 people participating joined nearly 40,000 Vermonters who demonstrated around the state, according to a count from Strength In Numbers/G Elliott Morris, in a national event to protest president Donald Trump and the policies of his administration.
Organized by the 50501 movement, the No Kings event — which came in the midst of national tension over the Trump administration sending the National Guard and Marines to quell protests against ICE in Los Angeles and the shooting of two Democratic state senators and their spouses in Minnesota — was the first of two in front of the Statehouse on Saturday. Following the No Kings protest, 30-50 people attended a grass roots event celebrating Flag Day, the 250th birthday of the United States Army, and Trump’s birthday. Although not planned as a counter-protest, there was some back and forth between the two groups.
No Kings: a Singalong
The No Kings event from 10–11 a.m. was one of 46 in Vermont. Afterward, rally goers marched from the Statehouse to the intersection of State and Main Streets where crowds gathered on the sidewalks for a “honk and wave” with passing motorists.
The event did not feature any speakers. Instead, it was a sing-along with musicians and the vocal group Solidarity Singers leading call-and-response songs.
“There’s nothing better than people singing together,” said Leah Greenberg, one of the Solidarity Singers, from the Statehouse steps before the singing began. “Raise your peaceful voices,” she said. The songs began with the entire crowd clapping in unison along with a chant of, “We believe in freedom.” Just before the march began, the crowd also sang “Lead With Love,” a popular protest song with the chorus: “You gotta put one foot in front of the other.”
While messages on signs ranged from humorous to unsparing, the event, on a morning that started out cool and gray but became sunny, was peaceful and without a visible police presence. Nancy Taylor, visiting Vermont from Florida, said she had never demonstrated before, and noted that the crowd was composed of people of all kinds. “Americans,” she said, “of all ages,” gesturing to the mass of people, young and old, parents, children, and dogs.
Ben Barnes, an artist from St. Johnsbury, carried a sign that said simply, “Nope” on one side and, “Yup, just nope,” on the other. Barnes said this was a succinct Vermont way of registering dissent. Aside from his own grievances with the Trump administration, Barnes said attending No Kings was a family affair. His mother, 81, had been attending demonstrations in central Vermont for some time and other family members, who live around Vermont, came out on Saturday to join her.
On the lawn, a woman from Barre who goes by “Sunshine” arranged a circle of signs, each bearing one of the historian Timothy Snyder’s “20 Lessons on Fighting Tyranny.” Among them were bits of advice such as “Do not obey in advance,” “Beware the one-party state,” and “Remember professional ethics.” In addition, some small flags had been planted, each bearing the name of a victim of police violence.
Robert P. Jones Jr. of Montpelier, a veteran who spent 31 years in the United States Navy, retiring as a captain, said he found the military parade held the same day in Washington, D.C., “abhorrent” and “an insult to veterans.” Jones said he was at the demonstration in support of Vermont in opposition to what he characterized as the presidential administration’s autocratic actions. Jones said the No Kings demonstration brought Vermonters “all united as one community against the administration’s actions.”
Rich Dufresne said he came to the protest because Trump’s tariffs have interrupted his small manufacturing business, Imagination Asylum Toys in Barre City. Dufresne designs and sculpts action figures, and has had a presence at Comic-Con events in Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and New York since 2005, he said. In 2024, he made the leap from hand-sculpting action figures to manufacturing them, he told The Bridge, noting, “We were gearing up for production starting in 2025.”
He said he had planned to manufacture in China, “but the tariffs kind of killed that.”
Dufresne said he has never gotten involved politically until now, “because of the tariffs, and (Trump) is just bad for the country. I think what he’s doing to immigrants is terrible.”
Celebrating the Army’s and Trump’s Birthdays
Shortly after the No Kings demonstration, an event celebrating Flag Day and the birthdays of the Army and the president began. About 30 people showed up, many adorned in red, white, and blue outfits and waving Trump flags.
They recited the Pledge of Allegiance, sang along to songs such as Lee Greenwood’s “Proud To Be An American,” and did Donald Trump’s signature two-fisted dance to the Village People hit “Y.M.C.A.”
Birthday hats were distributed along with birthday cake. Before pieces of cake were passed out, attendees sang a birthday song to Trump in a military march-style cadence with lines such as, “No government dependency; take responsibility,” “Just one flag that you see on government property” with a refrain of “Here’s our story; wave Old Glory.” VTDigger reported that a scuffle broke out over the birthday cake, but no other physical altercation appeared to have occurred.
Greg Thayer, an unsuccessful candidate for Vermont lieutenant governor in last year’s Republican primary, organized the event. He said the Flag Day and birthday celebration had been planned for a long time and that its main focus was to support the United States Army.
Thayer was dismayed by the No Kings demonstration, saying that the signs he had seen, some calling the president a fascist, had turned the space into a “hate area.” Thayer went on to say that president Trump’s governing style was necessary due to what Thayer characterized as the mistakes of the administration of former president Joe Biden.
A common refrain from Trump supporters to The Bridge was their feeling that the president is unfairly blamed for everything that is wrong.
Nancy (who declined to provide her last name), from Windham County, said she supports Trump “completely” in his efforts to, according to her, return the country to what it should be. She cited crime, immigration, and her opposition to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives as reasons she backs Trump.
While a majority of the No Kings crowd had moved away, a small cluster of 20 or 30 remained to protest the Flag Day event. Counter-protestors charged that Trump supporters worship him. “You worship a man,” one shouted.
One woman, a Trump supporter who asked not to be identified because she works in central Vermont and feared blowback, said she doesn’t worship a man, she worships Jesus Christ. She went on to say that “No one appreciates” the president for all that he is doing and has done. She said millions have entered the country illegally and that they are taking up housing and jobs and taxing our system.
As the event progressed, counter-protestors chanted at Trump supporters, who responded by turning up their music and blasting an airhorn. Individual demonstrators on both sides engaged with one another on topics ranging from immigration to the COVID-19 pandemic. Emotions were high, along with voices.
Near the end of the event, a woman wearing all black and who had attended the No Kings demonstration, stepped to the microphone and pleaded with everyone to “Find one human” and talk to them, in hopes of creating more productive dialogue.
Even with the microphone, her voice was largely drowned out by the din.
