By Lena LaJoy

Three University of Maryland students expressed anger and hope as they marched through the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 18, carrying signs and chanting to protest what they describe as the Trump administration’s corruption. 

The movement, called “No Kings,” aims to remind Americans that the country is a democracy and Trump’s efforts, like gutting healthcare, education programs, targeting immigrants and rigging voting maps, will not be tolerated, according to the No Kings website.

According to No Kings, demonstrations occurred in all 50 states, with over 2,700 events held on Saturday. Over 7 million people attended the nationwide protests.

UMD students united with people all across the Washington metropolitan area who shared the same belief — that power belongs to the people, according to the organization. The people proved that they are upset and ready to stand up for their beliefs, the organization said.

Since most UMD students voted for the first time in the 2024 presidential election, junior biological sciences major Sophia Sinberg, who attended the protest, saw it as a way for students upset about the election results to express their concern.

“I think it’s part of your duty as an American to go out and protest,” Sinberg said. “That’s one of our rights.” 

Zoe Knott, a sophomore public policy major, said the No Kings protest allowed students to stand up for their rights, since many policies enacted today by President Donald Trump’s administration directly impact college students. She expressed her concern over some of Trump’s agendas. He proposed ways to influence colleges to follow his policy through threatening to cut funding, and plans to dismantle the Education Department, according to U.S. News and World Report.  

“[He’s] making deals with colleges where he’s able to put restrictions on the things they can teach and say… and with healthcare that impacts students,” Knott said. 

The College Park Metro Station is only about a mile from the university’s campus, so students had easy access to Washington for the protest. Jen Carmeli, a junior marketing major, said the metro’s accessibility was an important deciding factor in attending it. 

“The cost of metroing also isn’t terrible, in my opinion. It was probably $5 total going back and forth, and it felt really easy,” Carmeli said.

Once in the metro station, people played music on speakers, danced and chanted while walking to the protest. Knott said the atmosphere throughout the protest made her feel seen, since she was surrounded by people with the same vision for change.   

“Even though you’re protesting something that’s not positive, it was a very positive environment,” Knott said.

To prepare for the protest, Knott made signs at a UMD College Democrats meeting held on the Wednesday before the protest. Knott, who is on the executive board as communications director, said one of her friends made a sign quoting Hamilton that read, “History has its eye on you.” 

Sinberg also made a sign that said “No Kings,” but she loved seeing everybody’s creativity in the posters that they made. 

“A lot of people let their creativity shine… a lot of the signs were funny and had a little joke to them, trying to make levity of the situation,” Sinberg said. 

When she arrived in Washington, the city was packed with like-minded individuals ready to stand up for their beliefs, Carmeli said. 

“It was pretty hard to get around people,” Carmeli said. “I would definitely say the crowd had gotten really big at that point.”

At the protest, speakers addressed the crowd from a stage set up in the middle of the march. Knott said the speakers included Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, Bill Nye and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. She added that people even began chanting “Bill” when Nye took the stage.

The three students who attended the No Kings march had an overall positive experience and recommended that other students attend similar events in the future to stand up for themselves.

“To be part of it was something so special,” Knott said. “Everyone there has the same vision. Maybe you disagree about some things, but you have one common interest.”

Featured Image: A No Kings protest flyer. Photo by Monique James.