At the intersection with Ludington Street, cars honked, and a handful of counter-protesters stood against the main group.

Though the Escanaba Public Safety Department had received a few calls in the area and assigned some officers to be at the event, the department reported no violence or vandalism.

Demonstrators of the “No Kings” protests are opposed to the actions of the current White House administration, saying that rapid executive actions are overly authoritarian – almost monarch-like, hence the name. Saturday’s event was the second “No Kings” rally in Escanaba; the first took place on Flag Day in Ludington Park.

“The protest got its name as a tongue-in-cheek response to Trump’s February 2025 Truth Social Post where he stated, ‘Long Live the King,’ followed by a White House mockup of a Time cover photo of Trump wearing a crown,” read a news release from Delta County Unified.

A counter-protester in a pickup truck drives past the area of the "No Kings" event in Escanaba on Saturday. (Courtesy photo)

Delta County Unified, which was partially responsible for organizing Saturday’s gathering in Escanaba, is the local branch of Indivisible, a nationwide movement that claims current systems in the United States are “rigged” in favor of the white and wealthy and encourages people to organize and resist through collective action.

“We show up for each other, and particularly for those facing the brunt of rightwing ideologues’ attacks – often immigrants, people of color, and low-income people. We share a vision: a real democracy, of, by, and for everyone,” indivisible.org states.

Delta County Unified stated: “Protesters are concerned by what they see as an unprecedented authoritarian overreach by President Donald Trump. They are also unhappy with the permanent tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires, while middle class and lower income citizens face increased costs for health care, if the Affordable Care Act tax credits are allowed to expire.

“Protesters are also upset about the firing of agency watchdogs without proper disclosure to Congress, masked ICE agents terrorizing non-criminal immigrants (including documented immigrants), the use of military forces in cities in contradiction to the Posse Comitatus Act, and what they view as infringement on freedom of the press. They are also concerned about the recent retirements of multiple Colonels and Admirals following the political speeches by President Trump and Pete Hegseth to top military leadership at the end of September.”

Meanwhile, counter-protestors say that President Trump is doing exactly what the majority of voters wanted him to do. As the left-leaning demonstrators in Escanaba gathered Saturday mostly in front of Walgreens on the southwestern side of Lincoln Road, one man stood on the northeast side of the intersection, holding a sign that asked why the “No Kings” people hadn’t protested against the previous administration, particularly when people had been ordered to wear masks. He was met with supporting remarks and conversation from several people stopping at Krist, in addition to honks and waves from passing drivers.

A participant at the "No Kings" protest in Escanaba on Saturday holds a sign declaring to be Antifa while wearing an inflatable costume. Antifa was designated as a "domestic terrorist organization" through executive action by President Donald Trump last month. (Courtesy photo)

There were a few other counter-protesters who came out in support of President Trump as well. Some vehicles parked at the western end of Ludington Street near the intersection, flying flags representative of the MAGA movement. However, after officers on scene “advised them to park in an appropriate designated parking area” instead, as Escanaba Public Safety said later, they vacated that post. A couple trucks circled nearby blocks and drove past the protesters several times, flying “TRUMP — TAKE AMERICA BACK” flags.

Some of the protesters involved with “No Kings” in Escanaba and elsewhere self-describe as “antifa,” a shortening of “anti-fascist.” Though it is a general description and not the name of an official entity, an executive order signed by Presidential action Sept. 22 designated antifa as a “domestic terrorist organization” because some acts of political violence have been connected with the term. The executive order referred to it as “a militarist, anarchist enterprise that explicitly calls for the overthrow of the United States Government, law enforcement authorities, and our system of law.”