No Kings Day rallies draw crowds
March 29, 2026 | By Lisa Scagliotti Local residents line Main Street in Waterbury on Saturday for a No Kings Day demonstration against the policies of the Trump administration. Photo by Rob Hofmann
Saturday saw millions of Americans take to the streets from the nation’s largest cities to tiny rural towns, demonstrating for the third “No Kings Day” against the Trump administration and a myriad of its policies. Vermonters gathered for about 50 protests, including in Waterbury, Waitsfield, Stowe, Montpelier and Burlington.
In Waterbury, approximately 400 people lined Main Street for an hour starting at 10 a.m. Local residents of all ages waved handmade signs and rattled noisemakers, sharing messages from opposing the war in Iran, to defending democracy, voting rights and women’s rights, calling for an end to heavy-handed federal immigration actions, and even calling for an end to Donald Trump’s presidency.
Many signs bore “No Kings” messages touting democracy and opposing war in the Middle East, deportations, and many actions of President Trump and his administration. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti
The demonstration wound down in time for many local activists to travel to other later No Kings events in Burlington and Montpelier.
Carol Baitz, a local organizer in Waterbury, was pleased with the turnout and overall atmosphere of the event. People lined Main Street from the intersection with Stowe Street in both directions, waving to passing vehicles, with many drivers responding with horn honking.
Baitz has shared a letter in the Roundabout Opinion section, looking ahead to more opportunities for local community members to stay engaged. “If you participated or drove by and honked, thank you, you rock!” she writes.
No Kings rally-goers at the State House find numerous ways to express their unhappiness with the Trump administration. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti
In Montpelier, the No Kings rally took place at the State House where organizers put together a program with multiple speakers, including U.S. Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., state Sen. Kesha Ram Hinsdale, D-Chittenden Southeast and Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark. State Curator David Schutz served as emcee, introducing speakers and weaving a narrative with guests in costume representing “Ghosts of Democracy Past, Present and Future.”
Welch spoke early, praising the crowd for gathering for what was the third No Kings Day after previous national days of demonstrations in June and October 2025. He encouraged the audience to work to make Vermont “stronger, better, more inclusive, more loving and more democratic.” He decried the current military action in the Middle East and its estimated costs of $2 billion per day.
Welch brought cheers from the crowd as he noted the recent removal of U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, under whose leadership federal immigration enforcement in Minnesota earlier resulted in the deaths of two American citizens in Minneapolis in January.
“We are making progress. Kristi Noem is gone,” Welch said, telling the crowd to “carry on” with peaceful demonstrations against the Trump administration. “Billions for health care? Maybe. Billions for another oil war in the Middle East? No.”
Below are galleries of images from the Waterbury and Montpelier demonstrations. See more Vermont No Kings Day coverage from VTDigger.org, Vermont Public, WCAX. ORCA Media livestreamed and recorded the Montpelier event.
No Kings | Waterbury
Demonstrators waved signs and motorists honked as they passed by along Main Street near Stowe Street in Waterbury. Photo by Shawnee Perry
No Kings | Montpelier
Several thousand people gathered at the Vermont State House in Montpelier for a noon No Kings Day rally. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti
