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Several thousand people attend No Kings rally in San Luis Obispo

October 18, 2025

Photo by Jeff Specht

By KAREN VELIE

Several thousand San Luis Obispo County residents opposed to President Donald Trump’s administration and in support of politicians creating their own voting district’s through Proposition 50 attended a No Kings rally in San Luis Obispo on Saturday.

Photo by Jeff Specht

In the rally promoted by the SLO County Democratic Party, party leaders and elected officials spoke and participated, including SLO County supervisors Bruce Gibson, Dawn Ortiz-Legg and Jimmy Pauling; party chair Tom Fulks; and SLO City Councilmember Emily Francis. Speakers rallied against Trump, ICE and fascism.

Bruce Gibson at No King rally in San Luis Obispo, photo by Jeff Specht

Speakers promoted uniting together to stop ICE and to change the constitution with additional provisions for undocumented immigrants.

Photo by Jeff Specht

There was music and dancing leading one to say it seemed more like a block party than a protest.

Photo by Jeff Specht

Dozens wore costumes of the grim reaper, dolphins, frogs, eagles, bunnies and more.

 


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I guarantee you not a single protester can tell you in an articulate and factual manner why they believe Trump is so terrible. It will be all emotion, and what they heard from a friend or social media, or what they heard watching Jimmy Kimmel or Joy Behar, or read on CNN, ABC, NBC, MSNBC, NY Times, Washington Post, Huffington Post, Yahoo or USA Today. Seriously, all they are is loud but void of intelligent and well researched facts.


23

He is a pedophile? Protects pedophile? Release the Epstein files and prove he is not.


-13

You won’t get a coherent response


-5

Proving a negative refers to the challenge of demonstrating that something does not exist or is not true, which is often considered difficult or impossible. This concept is commonly discussed in philosophy and logic, particularly in relation to the burden of proof in debates.


-2

I’ll give it a shot. And I don’t think Trump is a pedophile, a fascist or a king. He’s simply a very talented celebrity who inherited a bunch of money so he can say what he wants and what he says pleases people like yourself. No different than any other popular politician. I do, however, have serious issues with his policies.


1. The big beautiful bill is now the fourth time Republicans have cut taxes over the last 40 odd years. During that time the middle class has shrunk from about 61% of Americans in 1980 to under 50% today. At the same time, the wealthiest Americans have grown exponentially richer. In fact, the CEO-to-worker pay ratio, which was around 59:1 in 1980 and is now over 300:1. I fully expect those trends will continue under Trump. The worst part of it is that the bill will add approximately another $3 trillion to the national debt over the next ten years.


2. Trump’s tariff regimen has weakened what had been a recovering economy. Inflation has ticked up almost one percent year over year and estimates indicate they will cost each American at least $1,300 a year in added costs. So, while Trump has lowered taxes in one hand, he has raised them in the other with tariffs. Furthermore, increasing tariffs on our leading trade partners Canada and Mexico only a few years after he negotiated a trade deal (USMCA) is detrimental to everyone.


3. On immigration, Trump was right that we let too many illegal aliens into our country under the Biden administration, but the proper way to handle it would have been to force Congress to pass a tough immigration reform law with added security at the border, more immigration judges and more deportations. Most Dems were on board for such reform. During the Obama administration, the U.S. saw the lowest level of illegal immigration since the 1990’s with record numbers of deportations. But, rather than strike fear into the immigrant community and spark protests, Obama did it much more quietly and effectively. He actually had a policy with a goal, which he carried out. What’s happening now is simply causing chaos and terror and most of it is on very shaky legal ground.


4. I hate liars. Trump continually disrespects us all with a myriad of lies on every topic imaginable. He even lies about verifiable facts.


I could go on and on, with facts and rational discourse. I await your rebuttal.


0

I see these demonstrators being interviewed in various venues. Most are senior citizens. ALL of them seemed programmed to spout the same talking points. When presented with contradictory facts, they uniformly sputter more usual talking points. It’s odd and weird and shows the power of the media.


52

You’re describing a parody of Trump supporters you realize? Programmed cult followers spouting untrue talking points and whataboutisms provided by Fox News propagandists.


Say something negative about the President, and not something vapid and tired like “mean tweets”, I dare you. It’s not possible because YOU are the programmed automata.


0

Sounds like a maga rally if true. Did they have stupid read hts on identifying themselves?


-20

Nah, most likely some liberal likes to report any conservative comment they don’t like. When a conservative doesn’t like something they ignore it, when a liberal doesn’t something they demand it be removed.


3

I have found when you ask one of these protesters what exactly, specifically, makes Trump so terrible all you get is this emotional canned empty response of Trump this and Trump that, Trump, Trump, Trump. Never any factual and articulate specifics. Never.


19

If they’re just harmless oldsters, then I guess they aren’t the boogeyman “antifa,” funny sign not withstanding, or hardcore Palestinian agitators. I wish the Republicans Would get their story straight.


1

They’re not all old, some are young and fat with blue hair…


11

My wealthy , privileged , highly “educated “ neighbors sure know how to party- I mean protest!


44

Yeah! What right do they have protesting a president? They should be partying!


2

Why aren’t my posts being posted? do we have to go through this again? I’m going to contact the site admin… this is getting ridiculous either you want a message board or you don’t… maybe your advertisers would like to hear from me.


8

Same with mine?


6

I doubt their advertisers want anything to do with you…


-13

Great to see all these people protesting the worst ranked president the USA has seen.

The only president who has he not been elected would be in prison…


-47

Is there a Biden protest?


28

Biden isn’t president.

Every metric ranking presidents show Trump at the bottom. That’s a fact


-11

Again…you watch too much tell lie vision. Guyana jones and manson would of had you killing for them


5

You had 4 years to do that. How many times did millions of people protest during his term? And you are aware Biden is no longer president?


3

Really?


-3

Well, most Republicans work for a living…


14

It’s just AMAZING you could live through Biden/Harris and not come out of that with similar feelings. The Power of Media! Behold!


10

Have you not been paying attention to all the wars President Trump has stopped? Or all the money and investments from other countries that have been rolling in?


10

If Trump was really a King would he allow protests against the King?… and would he allow democrats to shutdown the government?… the no kings protests only lasted 2 hours and then they petered out…


33

Trump would love to be king. Fortunately this country still has laws that allow people to assemble. The maga crowd seems to forget will still have a constitution.


-2

Not everyone is a maga or a dim. Many of us have common sense and open eyes. We are not blinded by the media and the division/ hate the spew. As a businessman and proud American I have more than felt the struggle and despair to keep my doors open when recent dims were in power. During obum and the other braindead “president” reign I could barely survive. Prosperity under Trump now again. Given a choice I will chose Trump any day. ALL illegals need to be removed now!


0

Amen.


-4

These pea brained “no king” clowns have far too much time on their hands. Idiocracy is truly here.


33

They should sit around at home and post to message boards on small independent news sites.


17

There is difference between typing a 10 second sentence versus making stupid signs, dressing up like a freak and hanging out on the street chanting nonsense with the fellow freaks all day


7

Yes who do they think they are? Protesting against a president!


1

And where’s the drone shots? I count like maybe 23 in the most populated photo on offer…. Ain’t sayin there WERN’T thousands; SLO’s full of knuckleheads!


20

“Compensated” Protester – what a great side hustle!


-5

There is zero evidence of this. Organizers on the national level are paid, but not these folks. And when the same allegations were levied against tea party folks who protested when Obama was president I also saw zero evidence of compensation.


According to all accounts, there were over five million protesters across the country. They are not threatening. They have no power other than their first amendment rights and there’s still a year before midterm elections when Republicans should understandably be nervous. But not now. Just not sure why Republicans should care. Last time I checked they still controlled the White House and both houses of Congress, with a Supreme Court that is seemingly sympathetic to anything Trump wants.


6

Actually there’s companies set up that do this exclusively. News nation ran a story bout it 2 days ago – look it up. They interviewed a supervisor of one of these companies; she estimates about 80% of NK protesters are “compensated protesters”, and sees nothing wrong with that. I’m sure you agree with her.


-3

They took yer jerb!!


-4

Heh – a day’s pay for a protest supervisor wouldn’t buy 30 minutes of my time, but that is pretty funny!


-1
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