As many Americans gathered for cookouts and patriotic parades to celebrate Independence Day on Friday, others assembled at hundreds of planned demonstrations against the Trump administration.
Many of the protests were organized under the banner of “Free America,” a nod to 1776’s spirit of independence from tyranny and authoritarian rule, which protesters described as their aim. And while the atmosphere of the demonstrations were largely festive, with music, dancing and food vendors, protesters were resolute with their cause.
They pointed to a wide range of issues that inspired them to come out, including immigration raids, education cuts, concerns about democracy and, more specifically, the passage of President Trump’s sweeping domestic policy bill, which cuts taxes for the wealthy and slashes safety-net programs for the poor. He was expected to sign the measure on Friday afternoon.
“It’s our nation’s birthday, but I don’t think we are the nation that was founded almost 250 years ago,” said Lynn Kardasz, a U.S. Navy veteran who attended a protest in Chicago. “With the passage of Trump’s big bill yesterday, our democracy has ceased to exist.”
Mary Koch, 81, who was at a Houston demonstration, said she was appalled by the administration’s approach to deportations. “People are being picked up in the streets, and there is no due process,” she said. “Millions of people are being bullied.” She carried a sign that said “Due process,” with a heart.
The website of Women’s March, the group that organized many of Friday’s protests, listed more than 300 events across the country, including in major cities like Los Angeles and New York and in smaller communities like Quitman, Texas, and Rolla, Mo.
“Protesting gives people a first step to fostering community, especially for folks in rural areas,” the managing director of Women’s March, Tamika Middleton, said in a statement. “Right now, it is the most patriotic thing we can do.”
In St. Louis, Melinda Lohrum, 43, organized her own protest for the first time after participating in others this spring and summer. She was initially motivated, she said, by scenes of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents carrying out raids in masks and by “the cruelty of everything.”
Ms. Lohrum, who is a nurse, said she contemplated making some general protest signs earlier this week, but pivoted after what Mr. Trump has called the “big beautiful” bill passed the House of Representatives on Thursday. One of her signs read, “Blood on their hands: GOP prioritizes power over lives!”
Some protesters were particularly concerned about cuts to Medicaid in the policy bill. Shell Kimble, a reverend in Washington at what she said was a “politically divided” church, said she doesn’t know one could call the measure a “big beautiful bill” “when you’re talking about taking money away from people who so desperately need it. A lot of the people I minister to are on Medicaid, and those cuts are devastating.”
Jason Hellenberg, 50, who organized the protest in Washington, said his 73-year-old mother loves Mr. Trump and is dependent on Medicaid. Although she currently doesn’t have health issues, the bill’s passage makes him worried about the future of her Medicaid benefits, he said. But because they don’t talk politics, he doesn’t know how his mother feels about the cuts.
“She’s a MAGA supporter, I’m not. We kind of have a divided house,” Mr. Hellenberg said, adding, “When I left today, she said, ‘Have a good time.’ But I’m not sure she really meant it.”
The protests on Friday are the latest sign of grass-roots resistance to Mr. Trump’s agenda. On June 14, large crowds gathered in all 50 states for “No Kings” rallies, branded as a “day of defiance” against what organizers characterized as authoritarian actions by the Trump administration. They took place on the same day that Mr. Trump presided over a military parade in Washington for the Army’s 250th anniversary, and also celebrated his 79th birthday.
Friday’s demonstrations, too, took place on a significant date: Independence Day. This July 4 is the nation’s 249th birthday and kicks off a countdown to next year’s 250-year milestone, which Mr. Trump touted in Iowa on Thursday. Planned celebrations for 2026 include the Great American State Fair, athletic competitions and a display in Washington of “the largest U.S. flag in history.” The domestic policy bill passed this week includes $200 million for “America250” commemoration events.
For protesters, expressing their discontent toward the current administration was a form of patriotism.
In Tallahassee, Fla., a small group rallied in an outdoor pavilion at a local shopping center on Friday. Copies of the Declaration of Independence and the preamble of the U.S. Constitution were available, along with sunscreen, granola bars and water.
About half of the protesters, who were mostly older adults, sat in chairs, while others stood around listening to the speakers and singing songs. “Stand up. Fight back. Stop the madman now,” the group sang. Many of them were wearing red, white and blue.
Reporting was contributed by Robert Chiarito in Chicago, Valerie Crowder in Tallahassee, Fla., and Rachel Parsons in Los Angeles.
Ruth Graham is a national reporter, based in Dallas, covering religion, faith and values for The Times.
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