More than 2,000 protests, rallies and marches bearing the “No Kings” mantra were organized across the country Saturday, with Bowling Green one of more than a dozen Kentucky cities taking part in the protest against what critics call the authoritarian leadership of president Donald Trump.
Coinciding with the president’s $100 million military parade, displaying tanks, helicopters and armed U.S. military troops through the streets of Washington, D.C., protesters gathered to defy recent immigration crackdowns and the Republican-backed federal budget proposal, which would strip services like Medicaid, food assistance, and social security.
In Bowling Green, an estimated 2,000 protestors marched to an array of chants, including, “No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA,” as well as cries of, “No justice, no peace until Ernesto is free.” Ernesto Manuel Andres is a Bowling Green teen who was detained by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents, despite having legal authorization to be in the United States. He’s now being held in a detention facility in Louisiana.
Marching from the Warren County Courthouse to Circus Square Park, signs waved through the air with messages against ICE, authoritarian regimes, fascism, and President Trump. A roughly 40-foot banner was dropped from a parking garage, bearing the message, “We the people are stronger together. We the people are indivisible. Resist.” Several volunteers handed out free American flags, and reiterated that the United States is no place for a king.
Among the crowd of protestors was John Blake. He’s a Republican who voted for Trump in 2016. He was drawn to then-candidate Trump’s messaging of a political outsider who wanted to shake things up in Washington. Since then, Blake says he’s been disappointed to see Trump and his party shift to ideals he says are centered around deceit and division.
“The Republican Party, they’re unrecognizable. Especially if you look at Republican senators and people in the House who were so adamantly against Trump before he got elected. Now that he’s elected, they’ve kissed the ring, they’ve bowed down, because he is their king. He’s not my king, he’s my president. There’s a difference,” Blake said.
Marching in the No Kings rally in Bowling Green, Blake was disappointed not to see more conservative representation. He says the protest’s message should be non-partisan.
“What shocks me about this whole event is, as I told you, I’m a Republican, but why is a No Kings rally political? Why isn’t every American here, regardless of their party affiliation?” he asked.
Throughout the march, Blake carried an American flag, folded military style and kept in a plastic case to protect from rain and damage. He said it was a symbol of a family legacy of fighting against authoritarian rule.
“This represents my grandfather, who served in World War II. He fought off a tyrant, so it’s my opportunity to carry on his legacy. That’s why I’m carrying this flag today,” Blake said.
The same sentiment was shared by Terry Langley, a 26-year U.S. air force veteran. He says the military parade, and the president’s policies, show a blatant lack of regard for veterans.
“There’s only one thing Trump cares about, and that’s himself. He measures his quality by what he wins and what others lose. That’s not who the president of the United States should be,” Langley said.
Langley says throughout his decades of military service, he was always proud to serve under the sitting president, despite any differences of opinion.
“I had disagreements with their policies sometimes. But I felt that at least they cared about the country first. I don’t believe that’s true about Trump,” Langley said.
Veterans made up a significant portion of the protest, displaying shirts with “Veterans against Trump” messaging, as well as signs reading, “This veteran says America does not do kings.”
Langley says that the president’s military parade in Washington is just one example of his disrespect towards the nation’s service members.
“The day was originally planned to celebrate the sacrifice of our military. He’s taken it over. He’s made it all about show, and appearances, and wrapped it around his birth date. It has nothing to do with what it was originally intended to do, which was to recognize the U.S. Army’s formation,” the veteran said.
John Southall is a Bowling Green resident who says he struggled with exactly what to put on his sign leading to the protest. Not for a lack of grievances, he explained, but a lack of space on a poster board.
“The lack of due process with this administration, the defunding of the NIH, the CDC, the USAID, you don’t know what the government does for you until it doesn’t. The fact that they’re going to kick hundreds of thousands of Kentuckians off of Medicaid, which is going to force closures of small hospitals throughout the state,” Southall said.
He says those surprised by the president’s messaging and actions should have seen the signs early on.
“People need to realize what they’re voting for. This is no surprise, this was publicized in Project 2025, you had warnings. This was no surprise. Vote, pray, and protest.”
The local day of defiance was organized by the southern Kenucky chapter of the national grassroots advocacy group, Indivisible.
Cathy Severns is on the SOKY Indivisible leadership team, and says the military display in the nation’s capital is a spectacle normally seen under authoritarian regimes.
“We know that’s not normal. And it creates fear, it creates a sense of power on his part, and that’s not how this country operates,” Severns said. “Our country was built on the idea that we don’t serve a king. And that all people are equal. We see this as an authoritarian grab.”
Severns said the event's turnout far outweighed the local chapter's expectations of around 500 participants.
Similar protests were held in other parts of the Bluegrass State Saturday, including Franklin, Owensboro, Paducah, Ashland, Louisville and Hopkinsville. While crowd sizes varied, the grievances and messages remained the same, calling for an end to president Trump’s authoritarian leadership, widespread deportations and detainments, and cuts to services for the United States most vulnerable populations.
This story has been updated to reflect an estimated crowd of 2,000 protesters Saturday in Bowling Green.
