Hundreds of people with signs filled Bangor’s downtown sidewalks Saturday to decry President Donald Trump’s administration.
In the third “No Kings” protest in recent months, hundreds of people lined the sidewalks of Main Street, stretching from West Market Square toward the Cross Insurance Center, a little more than a mile away. The protest comes amid increasing tension and a new record-low approval rating for the second-term Republican, according to a recent Reuters poll.
Standing on the sidewalk across from Bangor’s Davenport Park, Kris Clark of Holden held a sign protesting Trump’s deportation agenda. Up until the president’s second term, he wouldn’t have considered himself a particularly political person.
“Congress is failing to stop the president and his illegal actions, they’re not doing anything,” he said. “So the people have to do it.”
There were dozens of protests across Maine and thousands across the country in the third round of “No Kings” events since Trump’s 2024 election. Democratic candidates fanned out across the state. Gov. Janet Mills, who is running for U.S. Senate, was in Portland, while primary opponents Graham Platner and David Costello had an afternoon event in Presque Isle.
In West Market Square, Matthew Weitkamp of Bangor stood cheering as cars honked with his family. Weitkamp brought his three young children to the protest to show them what activism looks like in action, he said.
“I’m here to show my kids that our voices matter,” Weitkamp said. “Even if they can’t vote yet, their voices matter.”
Standing just next to Weitkamp was Steve Hoskins, the pastor of Bangor’s Trinity Anglican Church. Underneath his coat, he wore the white collar most people would typically see him wearing during church services on Sunday.
“I wanted to wear my collar in particular today because I am troubled by the way religion has been weaponized in this cultural conflict,” Hoskins said. “It’s important to give an accurate portrayal of what the man we follow, Jesus Christ, stood for and stood against.”
In Aroostook County, there were “No Kings Day” protests in Houlton, Presque Isle and Fort Kent. The row of protesters in Houlton spanned from the now-closed Walgreens on North Street to Dominos, with people carrying signs demanding the president’s ouster.
“I’m here because we’re demonstrating against Trump and all that he does to our country and to the people,” Jackie Anderson of Island Falls said. “It’s very sad.”
Last year, Trump called the protests “a joke” and said they were not representative of the country. Both Bangor and Houlton are in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, which voted for Trump in each of the past three presidential elections.
State Auditor Matt Dunlap, who is running in the Democratic primary to replace the retiring U.S. Rep. Jared Golden of the 2nd District, said he came out to the Bangor protest because collective action is needed.
“This is a time when everyone has to step up and meet this moment,” Dunlap said. “I don’t think anybody should accept what is happening sitting down, from the illegal war in Iran to what’s happening in our country with immigration.”