'No Kings' Bloomington crowd hears warning: Trump is more dangerous because he was democratically elected

In Bloomington on Saturday, crowds gathered on the Monroe County courthouse square for the local edition of the "No Kings" protests, which were held across the country.

The "No Kings" protests were organized against U.S. President Donald Trump's administration generally, and specifically against the U.S. Army parade that Trump held in the nation's capital on Saturday, which coincided with Flag Day and his own birthday.

The B Square estimates that at least 1,000 people crowded onto the grounds of the historic county courthouse, to hear remarks from speakers and listen to songs performed by different musicians, starting with the iconic verses from Woody Guthrie's "This Land is Your Land."

Rain fell through much of the morning, but tapered off by the noon start of the event. The sun broke through at times, which pushed the temperature over 80°F, and made for a muggy three-hour demonstration.

The event included a moment of silence for Minnesota state representative Melissa Hortman, a Democrat, and her husband, Mark, who were shot dead in their Brooklyn Park home on Saturday. Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were also injured in a related shooting at their Champlin residence. The state's governor, Tim Walz, said at a news conference that the shooting "appears to be a politically motivated assassination."

Among the speakers at Bloomington's "No Kings" rally was Indiana University professor of political science Jeff Isaac, who began with the observation that Trump is not, in fact, a king. "I want to remind us all that Trump is not a king. He's not. And while he inherited his wealth, he did not inherit the political power that he now wields to frighten and intimidate us." Isaac continued, "Trump is the elected President of the United States."

Isaac focussed his remarks on the reason he thinks Trump is more dangerous than a king. "Trump is much more dangerous than any monarch, precisely because he was elected after a multi-year campaign that consisted of angry rhetoric and violent incitement and very promises to do exactly what he is doing." Isaac continued, "Trump successfully treated the 2024 presidential election like an American Idol television show, and the viewing audience voted him the winner. Think about that."

Isaac compared Trump to 20th-century fascist leaders like Mussolini and Hitler, describing Trump as a populist in a similar mold. Isaac said Trump fosters fear, xenophobia, racism, and violence, and has used his popularity to "purge all dissenters" from his Republican Party and suppress dissent.

Issac told the crowd that Trump has begun to bring media institutions, and universities to heal, adding "We [at Indiana University] know about that!" Trump has begun using the U.S. Justice Department to threaten and intimidate opponents, and has unleashed ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement), Isaac said. Issac described the recent deployment of several hundred Marines to deal with ICE protests in Los Angeles as "frighteningly close to martial law."

Issac then reflected on all the things that he had just described: "And [Trump] has done all of this with very substantial popular support." A chorus of boos came from the crowd.

Responding to the boos, Isaac said, "Yeah, I happen to be a political scientist—it's a fact." He continued, "We are here together. We ought to be proud to be here together, determined to walk the talk of democracy together." He added, "But we must recognize that most Americans are not out today chanting 'No kings!' That's a political reality that we must confront, as we oppose it."

Isaac then called on the crowd to use the means of resistance that are still available to "defend and to deepen our democracy." Issac continued, "It's up to us to seize hold of these democratic means, and to use them to say, no to kings and no to despotic demagogues who win elections."

Isaac listed out the democratic means he had in mind: "Think. Write. Speak. Listen. Organize. Assemble. Petition. Demand. Resist. ..." In the crowd someone yelled, "Vote!" That came just a bit later on Isaac's list. A chant erupted: "Vote! Vote! Vote! Vote!"

Organizing Saturday's event in Bloomington were: Indivisible South Central Indiana, Bloomington 50501, and the Monroe County Democratic Party. Speaking on behalf of the county party was vice chair Chrissie Geels.

Addressing the crowd were two current elected officials—Bloomington city councilmember Sydney Zulich and state senator Shelli Yoder. A former elected official, Charlotte Zietlow, also gave remarks.

In her speech, Yoder said, "If you came here today because something deep in your gut tells you that something is off in this country, if this is your first protest, or your second or your 100th, if you came here because you know in your bones that this country was not built for kings, but for people, not for crowns, but for community, not for dictators, but for democracy—Welcome home, because this is what democracy looks like!"

Yoder said, "We are not subjects! We are citizens! We will not yield. We will not let our flag be folded in fear, or our constitution be crumpled under the boots of billionaires."

Zietlow recalled her time living in Czechoslovakia in 1968. What people don't understand, Zietlow said, is how "the rules change every day," in an authoritarian regime. She added, "You never know what's going to be legal or not, from day to day, because the rules change."

From the start, organizers stressed the intended non-violent character of the event. At one point, a group of demonstrators took to the street and marched east on Kirkwood Avenue, turned north on Walnut Street to 7th Street, headed west on 7th Street to College Avenue and then turned north.

The demonstrators in the street were described from the mic set up under the speaker's awning at the southwest corner for the courthouse as "an outside group that is not part of our group." The organizer said, "If you are in the streets right now, you are disrupting our work. Get out of the street, join us in non-violent protest."

An incident unfolded at the intersection of Kirkwood Avenue and Walnut Street when a motorist stopped, emerged from his car, and then smashed his own vehicle with what appeared to be a 4-foot long metal pipe. He walked up and down the street with unclear purpose before being subdued by bystanders and Bloomington police. The episode was captured on video by more than one bystander and posted to social media outlets. Sunday morning's daily report from the Monroe County sheriff, indicate the man was booked into jail on a charge of intimidation.

Photos: Bloomington 'No Kings' protest (June 14, 2025)