Rallies protesting President Donald Trump’s agenda took place over the weekend, even in rural parts of the state that Trump won by a wide margin.
A “No Kings” rally in eastern Iowa’s Clinton County drew hundreds of protesters. Some said they felt that the president was dividing Americans and making it impossible to talk about politics with their friends and neighbors.
Kerry Notz, who lives in the area, used to teach English as a Second Language courses at the community college. She said the current state of the country is causing her to second-guess some of the lessons she once imparted on students.
“I've told my students, ‘You can stand on the street corner and say the president is an idiot and should go away.’ And I said, ‘You’re fine, nothing will happen to you. Nothing will happen to your family,’” Notz said. “And I’m not completely sure of that right now and that hurts my heart.”
Dozens gathered at another protest in Maquoketa in Jackson County, an area that voted for Trump by 32 percentage points.
Renne Lietz is with Operation Grassroots, a group that helped organize the event.
“I think that’s the key, is connection,” Lietz said. “We’ve got our small group here. And if you start getting a small group everywhere, pretty soon you’ve got a big group.”
Other protests happened across the state, including in Des Moines, Iowa City and Davenport.
Organizers for the nationwide day of protests told NPR about 2,600 events were planned for Saturday.
