Monica Kiernan walked down North Main Street with a neon green sign toward the crowd gathering for a No Kings Day protest in front of the State House.
“Do not worship this golden calf,” it read, next to a depiction of President Donald Trump with bull horns.
The administration’s narratives around public health issues drove Kiernan, a physical therapist from Hudson, to attend; to her, they are clear examples of disinformation.
“I am not alone as health care worker here,” she said. “America doesn’t even know what the truth really is or not on many, many, many issues.”
Thousands of people filled the grounds of the State House Saturday, lining Main Street from the corners of Loudon Road to Warren Street. Many attendees waved signs, American flags and balloons in the air. Some wore historical costumes, animal onesies and inflatable dinosaur, unicorn and duck costumes.
The rally was one of more than 2,600 planned across the United States, including 28 in New Hampshire alone. In June, more than 5 million protestors gathered for an estimated 2,000 ‘No Kings’ events nationwide.
The rally was Joni Berman’s fifth this year — the largest she’s attended so far. Her sign made parallels between the administration’s actions and Gilead, the patriarchal ruling body in Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale.”
“It is happening,” Berman, of Merrimack, said. “If people can’t stand up, I’m afraid we’re going to lose everything.”
Daniel Stewart is no stranger to protest — he regularly holds banners on overpasses with the New Hampshire Bridge Brigade, and recently, he’s noticed more people honking their car horns in solidarity.
“We’re seeing that tide turn every time I’m on the bridge,” he said. “I think before, people were intimidated by everything and… afraid to show support.”
Stewart, of Fremont, served in the state National Guard for 20 years, and he denounced Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s management of his department as “embarrassing” and “a disgrace.”
At the No Kings Day protest, he and his son, Cannon, propped up a banner taller than them both.
“Hegseth is a poser,” it read.
Daniel and Cannon Stewart hold a sign in front of the State House for No Kings Day on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. Credit: EMILIA WISNIEWSKI / Monitor
Chants of “no faux-king way,” “this is what democracy looks like” and “arrest the traitors, free our neighbors” rang out across the State House lawn.
In between, local speakers and musical acts took the stage.
Caelin Graber and her five bandmates with No Planet B were one of the first acts of the day. Graber started the band last year as she became increasingly worried about the climate crisis.
“It’s great to be around this energy. It gives me hope,” she said. “It makes me feel like we can change direction.”
Protesters hold up signs as well as a original American flag during the ‘No Kings’ protest at the State House on Saturday, October 18, 2025. Credit: GEOFF FORESTER / Monitor
As Colby-Sawyer College students Lilly Anderson and Delaney Stevens looked around the No Kings Day rally, the first protest they’ve ever attended, they were impressed to see people of all ages.
“It’s so nice to see the younger generations stepping in and noticing stuff going on,” Anderson said.
Many people adorned Halloween-like costumes, from colonial uniforms to witches to an inflatable Tyrannosaurus Rex. Josko Dunfaro’s knight armor had more intention behind it.
Dunfaro, who is white, said he wanted to make himself a more visible target in case any violence aimed at protestors broke out. He is also a member of the LGBTQ+ community, which he believes is especially vulnerable under the Trump administration.
“The main reason I am out here is because I’m going to fight while I still can, for the rights of not just myself but my neighbors and marginalized communities, even for those who voted for him,” he said.
Josko Dunfaro wore a knight costume to the No Kings Day rally in Concord on Oct. 18, 2025. Credit: EMILIA WISNIEWSKI / Monitor
Caelin Graber said that she hopes the national movement will incite change, especially among Democratic lawmakers, signaling to those who voice their opposition to Trump that the people “got your back.”
“People that have real power, when they see this, they’ll think there’s a lot of public support and they’ll be, I think, more likely to oppose the administration more bravely,” she said. “I feel like something like this tells them, ‘No, we’re not waiting.’”
