Hundreds of people flooded the steps of the Iowa Capitol Saturday to protest against President Donald Trump, whose actions they said are harming the nation and turning towards tyranny.
The Des Moines protest was part of a nationwide day of demonstrations called No Kings. Thousands of people participated in around 2,000 protests across the U.S. The protests were intended to be nonviolent.
More than 30 No Kings protests happened across Iowa, in communities including Waterloo, Davenport and Fort Dodge.
Organizations planned the rallies to counter the military parade in Washington, D.C., which was held to commemorate the U.S. Army’s 250th birthday, and happening the same day as Trump’s 79th birthday. The military parade is estimated to cost as much as $45 million.
Despite the hot, humid weather in Des Moines – causing multiple calls for medics – people yelled out chants like “No hate, no fear” and “One struggle, one fight, workers will unite.” The sound system could barely amplify the speakers’ voices across the crowd.
People cheered when speakers denounced Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids as a power grab by Trump to quash dissent.
Former Iowa Democratic Disability Caucus Chair Julie Russell-Steuart strained to be heard as she spoke against proposed Medicaid cuts included in Trump’s priority bill in Congress that would also extend tax cuts passed in his first term and pay for domestic policies around issues such as immigration.
“I'm terrified that if my daughter loses her Medicaid, she will not have the medication she needs to live and continue on as a young adult in this country,” Russell-Steuart said. “I'm terrified that our disabled community, who rely on home care supports, are going to die without it.”
Iowa Citizen Community Action Network Director Sue Dinsdale said Trump is twisting America’s legacy into a personal celebration of himself.
“While Trump is acting like a king and our representatives are behaving like his subjects, everyday Iowans are suffering,” Dinsdale said. “We know that the big budget bill moving through the caucus will only make our broken system worse by ripping away health care and food for millions while raising prices, all to give billionaires another tax break.”
Other speakers included chief operations officer at Creative Visions Ivette Muhammad and Federation of Labor President Charlie Wishman.
