In Raleigh, across the Triangle, ‘No Kings’ protesters rally against Trump policies
Protesters carrying signs moved silently through the streets of downtown Raleigh Saturday afternoon. Their destination: the State Capitol.
And while they may have moved incognito on their way to the state’s seat of power, they showed up to bring the noise. They were there to make their voices heard and rally against President Donald Trump’s administration.
“I’m tired as hell talking about how bad MAGA is,” Rev. William Barber, a minister and civil rights activist, said during his speech on Saturday. “Let’s talk about how good we are.”
“If we vote our power,” Barber continued. “A wannabe king will not be coronated.”
“If we vote our power,” the audience of hundreds screamed back.
Hundreds more protesters gathered in north Raleigh and at a dozen rallies around the Triangle on Saturday, part of a nationwide “No Kings” day event. It was the third “No Kings” event since Trump returned to the White House and the first since he ordered attacks on Iran. Complaints against Trump and his administration brought the protesters together, but their reasons varied.
“I want to be out here to just make sure that people know that Trump is just out of control with the military,” Norm Zimmer, who served in the Army, told The News & Observer. “As far as I’m concerned, any vet that supports this guy is just totally off base.”
His sign read: “This veteran served the people. Not a king.”
Zimmer said Trump “doesn’t know what he’s doing in Iran” and the way he talks about veterans — calling “us losers and suckers” — just doesn’t sit right with him.
That’s why he showed up.
For Mary Block, however, it was an emotional draw that brought her out during the weekend protests.
“I think you get very lonely watching the news and wondering about the state of things and how you can do something,” Block told The N&O. “It feels good to see so many people that see what I do, that there’s such cruelty to other people. I don’t understand my country.”
And for Dr. Mabel Watson, along with many other people, Trump’s rhetoric prompted her to join the rally.
“What’s going on in our country is not right,” Watson said. “He’s just ruthless. He doesn’t care about anybody else.”
Back in downtown, Barber told the clamoring throngs of protesters that it wasn’t enough for elected officials to say “you’re against Trump” and asked a simpler question: “What are you for?”
This story was originally published March 28, 2026 at 4:27 PM.
