Why the ‘No Kings’ protests in Sacramento and beyond won’t beat Donald Trump | Opinion
The “No Kings” protests were a moment that gave Americans frustrated by President Donald Trump’s administration a space to rage. But that was all it was. People who think this will spark some sort of political movement for change will be mistaken.
As I was walking in Midtown Sacramento, I noticed a sign on the sidewalk that read, “It wouldn’t be the US without Mexicans. It’s time to team up. Let’s begin brown and black!“
It’s funny that this sign might have been held by someone for hours. Maybe they screamed the words in a chant to show their frustration with the current Trump administration? But when it was all said and done, they tossed it to the side like trash.
I agree that people should demonstrate to shed light on an issue that they find worthy. But just like the sentiment of the sign left behind on the sidewalk, the “No Kings” was outrage that lasted a day.
It’s great to protest, but not as important as understanding the power to vote.
Before I saw the sign, I walked down to the Pride celebration held at the Capitol Mall. Protesters were gathered, chanting and holding signs like the one mentioned above, but there were no voter registration sign-ups. The signs that I saw were about ending oligarchy and bashing the foolish decisions of Donald Trump. Again, I did not see a sign that said anything about the power of the vote.
I don’t know about you, but I am tired of having an election where it’s obvious that the conservative, bigoted, and elitist candidate surprises the country by winning.
Quite simply, what Trump is doing cannot be opposed as just the rage of the day. Opposing Trump not only requires our anger, but also our willingness to look at our system and see what is wrong.
Kings are all around
It is not just Donald Trump who is acting like a king. Quite frankly, we have Democrats who have been able to be in office for decades without ever having to worry about their seat of power being threatened. Long-time congressional Democrats such as Doris Matsui and Nancy Pelosi, who have held their seats for decades in Sacramento and San Francisco, respectively, deserve more scrutiny.
We can and should ensure that the people we elect do not get comfortable. Because that’s what rulers do.
If Americans have the will to raise a sign in opposition to a man that they feel is abusing power, they should be committing themselves to honoring our democracy by peacefully persuading enough Americans that we’re opposing must be changed at the ballot box.
Saturday’s protest exuded a lot of fiery passion, but no path forward to turning that passion into votes.
We have to become more comfortable with debating others about why the takeover of government by the Trump administration threatens freedoms we hold dear and divides people and communities based on whether they support Trump or not.
What frustrates me the most about this anti-Trump movement is that it appears that screaming expletives about Trump or freeing Palestine seems more important to too many people than getting people out to vote.
Rage without a purpose is chaos. That doesn’t win elections.
This story was originally published June 17, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Why the ‘No Kings’ protests in Sacramento and beyond won’t beat Donald Trump | Opinion."
