Thousands rally against Trump at ‘No Kings’ protest in St. Louis

Even with on and off rain, more than thousand people — with more arriving by the minute — have gathered in downtown St. Louis as of early Saturday afternoon to participate in the city’s “No Kings” protest.

The demonstration is part of a nationwide movement opposing President Donald Trump’s policies and a planned military parade celebrating the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary, which happens to coincide with Trump’s birthday.

Despite the reason for the gathering, the atmosphere is upbeat with people from throughout the region in attendance.

“I’m here today to resist this horrible administration that is doing horrible things in my name and in the name of other Americans,” said Kelli Rae Patton of Tower Grove South. “I’m against most, if not all, of his policies, and I frankly, find things that are going on very frightening at the moment that are being done in his name, from people being murdered in Minnesota in their homes to people being deported and taken to gulags and prisons.”

This is Madeline Finn’s second protest of the day. She was part of a gathering on Manchester and Weidman roads in front of U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner’s office that also drew large crowds.

Finn lives in St. Louis County but wanted to attend the city protest as well to show there shouldn’t be a divide between the two.

“I have a lot of friends that have family or friends that could be targeted by ICE, and it really makes me angry,” she said. “My cousin’s boyfriend is Mexican, and she’s in LA right now, so I just want to stand with her, and use my privilege, knowing that I can go out and protest.”

Speaking at the event, former U.S. Rep. Cori Bush denounced the president for his immigration policies, pardoning the January 6 insurrectionists and abandoning consent decrees across the country: “He’s nobody’s king,” she shouted to cheers.

“The one thing about St. Louis: We know how to resist. We know how to fight,” Bush said, adding later, “In my opinion, I won’t put this on you, but I say that Donald Trump, he’s not a king. What he is is a well paid court jester.”

The event began at 2 p.m. in Kiener Plaza and those gathered began marching around 3 p.m. The event is planned to end at 5 p.m.

There are more than 30 such protests planned in large cities and small towns throughout Missouri and Illinois on Saturday.

Pushback

The demonstration capped a week of protests against mass immigration raids by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In Los Angeles, protests escalated into confrontations between federal agents and civilians after Trump deployed the National Guard and Marines to the state against the wishes of California Governor Gavin Newsom — a move that drew widespread condemnation. In some instances, California law enforcement used rubber bullets and pepper spray on protesters and journalists.

It is the first time since 1965 that a president called National Guard troops to respond to civil unrest without a governor’s official request for assistance, according to Elizabeth Goitein, the senior director of the Brennan Center’s Liberty and National Security Program.

After peaceful protests across St. Louis earlier this week, Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe declared a state of emergency and activated the National Guard “to support local law enforcement,” according to a news release. A spokesperson for the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department declined to provide specifics about what that might look like, saying Chief Robert Tracy would make decisions about how and if to use the National Guard.

Kehoe’s spokeswoman said troops would be on standby in St. Charles County and in Jefferson City “to conduct planning and preparation for any future requests to assist civil authorities,” but declined to comment on the number of troops activated in the St. Louis region and across the state.

Finn of St. Louis County called the move ridiculous.

“There’s no emergency,” she said. “We had an emergency when the tornadoes hit. And where was that National Guard? People still don’t have roofs, and everyone down here is going to stay peaceful, and we’re going to have a good time and spread our word.”

Kehoe called up the Missouri National Guard to help clean up tornado debris on May 24, a little over a week after the tornado tore through the city, and they were on the ground the following week.

“I find it funny that it took two weeks for the National guard to respond to the storm but just two days for a protest,” said Alderwoman Daniela Velázquez, of St. Louis’ 6th Ward, while speaking at the event.

Some Democratic critics called Kehoe’s activation of the guard premature.

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas blasted Kehoe’s activation of the National Guard, calling it an “unnecessary escalation” that “undermines local law enforcement.” The ACLU of Missouri sharply criticized the governor’s decision, calling it a “provocation to thwart public dissent” and an affront to First Amendment rights.

St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer was largely quiet on the move, and a spokesperson told STLPR the administration has been focused on relief efforts tied to the deadly May 16 tornado. Spencer later said she trusts protestors to remain peaceful and the police department to protect the community.

As of mid-afternoon Saturday, the National Guard wasn’t visible at the event and only a small number of local law enforcement were present in parked vehicles.

Missouri’s two Republican U.S. Senators pushed back on the demonstrations on social media.

Sen. Josh Hawley claimed on X that the LA protests were funded and vowed to investigate. Sen. Eric Schmitt pointed a finger at billionaire George Soros, saying he “financed the mass migration crisis. Now he’s mobilizing his army of illegal aliens and far-left activists to try to stop President Trump from ending it.”

Schmitt added in another post: “This is one of the more brazen acts by the Left and the Soros empire since the BLM “Summer of Love” burned down towns and cities across America in 2020.”

Both senators’ claims are currently unfounded.

Trump’s military parade

Washington D.C. hosted its largest military parade in decades — filled with thousands of marching soldiers, rows of tanks, parachute jumps and flyovers. The event on Saturday marks the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary. It also happens to fall on Trump’s 79th birthday and Flag Day. The military branch had been preparing the celebration for over a year, but the idea of a parade is recent. Although Trump’s birthday is not officially linked to the festivities, a large-scale military parade has been on the president’s wish list since his first term. Beyond war victories and presidential inaugurations, large-scale military parades have not been part of American tradition — though smaller parades at the town-level tend to be more common.

Since the parade was announced, some Democratic lawmakers have criticized it as a vanity project and a misuse of funds and other critics are unsettled by the display of military might. Estimates on the parade’s cost range between $25 to $45 million.

St. Louis Public Radio and our partners are covering protests today in Belleville, Kansas City, Joplin, Boonville and Columbia, Missouri. This story has been updated.

St. Louis Public Radio’s Chad Davis and NPR’s Juliana Kim contributed to this report.