On Oct. 18, over 1,500 people gathered at the intersection of Foothill and North Indian Hill Boulevard to participate in a “No Kings” protest, attended by many 5C students.
The No Kings protest movement has emerged in response to what many Americans perceive as President Donald Trump’s increasingly authoritarian policies. This month’s No Kings protests attracted millions of people across the country, according to reports.
Rye Rothman PZ ’27 attended the protest in Claremont; she also made and posted flyers around the campuses to encourage her peers to attend. Rothman said she was inspired by her sociology class, “Resisting American Autocracy.”
Nicholas Coughlin PZ ’29, Pitzer freshman class representative, was also at the protest. He led chants with a megaphone and a poster in hand.
“No Kings is the modern embodiment of fighting fascism and our current president of the United States,” Coughlin said. “No Kings isn’t about whether you’re a Democrat or Republican, it’s about the extreme threat to our democracy.”
However, some 5C students shared skepticism of the No Kings movement. Gabriel Khuly CM ’28, a self-described conservative, said that the existence of protests proves that Trump is not a king.
“Trump’s just executing the platform that he ran on,” Khuly said. “Things like mass deportation was a huge part of his campaign slogan. People literally held signs that said mass deportations. Now he’s ultimately [following] the will of the people.”
Coughlin said that Trump’s claim to represent the American people is contradictory.
“How can he represent a norm, a different type of worker and truly represent the American dream?” he said. “We’re built on immigrants, we’re built on workers, we’re built on education.”
Some attendees noted concerns over legislative inaction, particularly as the government shutdown continues with no immediate end in sight. However, Claremont McKenna College Professor of Government Ioaniss Evrigenis said these issues are not new to this administration.
“There’s a less than ideal relationship between the legislative and the executive,” Evrigenis said. ”Lots of people are worried that the legislative is not really performing its role as it was intended, but that predates the current administration and has been going on for at least a couple of decades.”
Shiv Parihar CM ’28, said that, while being a Republican who served as a delegate at the Utah State Republican Convention in 2024, he voted third-party in the last general election due to gripes with Trump’s campaign. Although he understands those that disagree with Trump’s policies, he doesn’t share the sentiments behind the No Kings movement.
“I think I’m very skeptical of those that try to sort of put authoritarian labels on that,” Parihar said.
Evrigenis said that discussion is the best way to deal with disagreement. He also said students who are feeling stressed and looking for some way to create change should lean into their studies.
“Focus on your studies, even though that seems like a sort of retreat from public life or politics, it isn’t,” Evrigenis said. “We all have roles to play and one of the ways in which we play our roles best, even as citizens, is by preparing as well as we can to fulfill our future obligations. The second thing is equally important, which is to continue to be as well-informed as possible.”
Students said that they generally agreed with the idea behind the No Kings movement, supporting citizen protests when Americans are dissatisfied with their government.
“I am against being a yes man,” Khuly said. “I think that we should criticize [our] government when you disagree. I think that that’s necessary. Insofar as it does come from a place of genuine love for your country, it’s powerful.”
Beyond 7C students, nearby residents of all ages attended the protest. One participant was local resident Scott Christiansen, who attended the No Kings protest in Claremont after attending similar protests in Auckland and Ontario on the same day.
“The [Claremont] Colleges are a big deal,“ Christiansen said. “I love the history of this place and college is what it’s all about. You guys get the word out in a lot of ways, and you better watch your ass, because they’re coming after the universities.”
Christiansen said that the protest made him feel hopeful and that he appreciated the students who showed up.
“The [Claremont] Colleges are a big deal,“ Christiansen said. “I love the history of this place and college is what it’s all about. You guys get the word out in a lot of ways, and you better watch your ass, because they’re coming after the universities.”
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