Hundreds gather for No Kings rally at Abilene City Hall
March 31, 2026 | KACU 89.5 FM
March 30, 2026 | West Texas Tribune
On Saturday afternoon, around 300 people gathered for a No Kings Rally at Abilene City Hall to criticize President Donald Trump and the decisions made under his administration.
The No Kings rally in Abilene was one of around 3,000 gatherings planned across the country and globe.
Abilene organizers said there was a larger turnout this time around than at the previous two rallies. During the October rally, several counterprotestors stood across the street from the City Hall in opposition to the No King’s message. This time, there was no opposing crowd, and organizers said more supporters came out.
Rally attendee Charles Nall said he identifies as an independent voter and actually voted for Trump the first time he ran for office.
Charles and Tammy Nall said they are concerned for the future of their grandkids. (Photo by Baylie Simon)
“I watch politics every day, and I see what he’s doing. I mean, it’s the authoritarian playbook. Step one, two, three, and he’s probably on two and a half,” Nall said. “And I’m just, you know, I’m tired of it. We’ve got grandkids. I’m concerned about the future of the Earth. I’m concerned about the future of the United States of America.”
The grassroots organizations 50501 and Indivisible organized the rallies across the country as part of the same, unified movement. Diana Luna, who is running for Texas House District 71, says she supports the No Kings Day movement because it gives people a chance to express their First Amendment right to protest. She doesn’t agree with any of the policies Trump has implemented to try to help the economy.
“All they’ve done is make billionaires richer. And working-class people, our groceries are still going up. Our gas prices are going up now in Abilene,” Luna said.
The conflict between the U.S. and Iran has put a standstill on the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway that handles about 20% of the world’s oil supply. As a result, the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline has increased by about a dollar.
Samuel Garcia, chair of the Taylor County Democratic Party, set up a table for people to answer the question, “What is something you do that a billionaire wouldn’t understand?”
“They don’t understand what we do every single day as regular Americans, who suffer with our budgets,” Garcia said.
He said people’s answers to his question serve as a reminder to him of why he is passionate about working in politics.
“Elections matter! Yes, I am a political animal, and I have been my whole life. I love politics, I really do, but why? Because I know it makes a difference in your everyday lives,” Garcia said.
Through the whole rally, speakers emphasized the importance of voting and influencing others to make change happen.
Linda Goolsbee came to the rally as a Taylor County volunteer deputy registrar to help attendees go through the steps of registering to vote.
“I am here because I am really concerned about the fact that all of a sudden we have a very non-constitutional semi-monarchy going on,” Goolsbee said. “It’s important to me that our democracy survives. That’s the big statement. The place where we are right now, we are a democracy, people can vote and change things.”
Protesters held signs that read “Keep families together” and “For my father who came with nothing to give me everything” in retaliation to ICE raids and detentions.
As of March 2026, 13 deaths in ICE detention have been reported this year.
Rally attendee, Billy Keith, said he’s not usually the type to go to protests, but felt that it was time he used his voice to make a difference.
“Everybody wants all the criminals gone. They want the criminals sent away, put behind bars, but folks that are over here, to try and earn a living, to do better for themselves and their families, leave those people alone. Let them work. They’re not hurting anybody,” Keith said.
For the protestors and speakers at the rally, accountability and justice go beyond getting Donald Trump out of office. They also want to see government officials involved in the Epstein Files be held accountable for their criminal activity.
Chellby Taylor spoke about the impact that the lack of accountability has on human trafficking survivors like herself.
“Now imagine for a moment that you’re a sexual assault survivor, or a victim of the current president of the United States of America,” Taylor said. “Can you imagine what it must feel like to watch him give the State of the Union address, ramble on for hours on a global stage, while we sit here privately, reliving each moment of our assault?”
In October of 2025, President Trump called the No King’s protests “a joke” and said that the protestors were not representative of the whole country.
For protestors, the No Kings message is simple: Nobody is above the law.
