In Florida, as well as other areas throughout the United States, October 17 was a day of peaceful protests, horns honking, homemade posters slamming MAGA, and big smiles. President Trump, of course, the primary villain of the nationwide “No Kings” protest as participants highlighted grievances with policy issues, perceived corruption and even Jeffrey Epstein narratives.
This is the fourth “No Kings” protest with attendance numbers reportedly dwindling in comparison to the first demonstration back in early 2025. Online rumors have circulated that protesters are no longer getting paid (if they ever were), making it difficult to attract big crowds and the right kind of energy. Other rumors have drawn connections to the reduced USAID funding and what appears to be lackluster, poorly organized protests.
We can only speculate as to why the number of participants have rapidly decreased since the first protest last year. And we can only speculate how many protesters were paid versus how many showed up out of personal convictions.
All that speculation aside, we can arguably confirm that the average paid and unpaid protester (at the Florida protests, at least) is a member of the Baby Boomer generation. No, they’re not all boomers. Sprinkle in a few older Generation X, one or two teenagers, and maybe a middle-aged mom.
But if you comb through “No Kings” news coverage, you’ll likely see a majority of those over the age of 65. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. Just like there’s nothing wrong with noticing.
And people are noticing.
So why are the Baby Boomers protesting? It can’t be because they truly think Trump is a king (or maybe they do). It can’t be because they actually think he’s the new Hitler. And it can’t be because they think he’s operating a totalitarian regime while citizens have little to no power, control, or freedom. It can’t be any of those things, because those things are inherently untrue (see image below).
But it can be about money or even the perception of money. Do a quick Google search, and you’ll find plenty of articles and editorials about rumored cuts to Social Security and other benefits like Medicare.
And yet, all rumors aside, Trump did not cut the monthly Social Security benefits people receive. In fact, the official Social Security Administration confirms that benefits increased by 2.8% in 2026.
And Medicare? Well, yes, the Trump Administration ended some prescription drug subsidies and changed eligibility rules for certain noncitizens. But for the most part, seniors haven’t experienced a direct, across-the-board cut to their monthly Medicare coverage.
Then maybe they’re protesting about policy issues such as ICE and the immigration crackdown across the country. Some Baby Boomer protesters want to abolish the federal enforcement agency all together. At least that’s what their handheld poster says.
Fair enough. It is difficult to witness some families being separated in order to enforce longstanding immigration laws.
But truth be told: Trump’s deportation numbers are trending on the low side at just 675,000 almost two years into his term. During his first term (2016-2020) he deported 2 million. That means he needs to pick up the pace in order to match President Obama’s deportation numbers of 5.3 million.
Okay, then, maybe it’s a good time to bring up the F word. You know, the one plastered on every other poster throughout the crowds. FASCIST. It’s a word so commonly used alongside President Trump‘s name that it’s become synonymous with anything and everything Trump says or does.
And Trump does say some very fascist-y things. His rhetoric about immigrants and national decline reflects themes found in previous fascist movements, according to some historians. While others argue that his administration is on a “protofascist trajectory.” To be fair, however, labeling Trump a fascist does not equate to him operating a fascist regime.
Speaking of regimes, you might see a few protesters holding a sign lambasting the Iran War, which makes sense. The Iran War is a shadowy and controversial war and the Boomer generation is known for their opposition to foreign conflicts, so this checks out. Quite a few MAGA voters feel the same way, ironically enough, and hold an equally contentious view of the war.
Which brings us to the Epstein Files, another topic of agreement between MAGA and Baby Boomer protesters (though each group may want them fully released and un-redacted for entirely different reasons.) Everyone knows that Trump is in the files, but to what degree is not entirely certain. Many protesters believe Trump to be directly involved in criminal activity alongside the late Jeffrey Epstein.
But if this is the case, why didn’t President Biden ever release the files? Even further, what if the un-redacted files actually implicated members of the Democrat establishment? Will the “No Kings” protesters rise above any kind of cognitive dissonance and keep going with the Epstein storyline? It’s a fair question.
Just like it’s fair to question the true motivations behind the “No Kings” protest and why Baby Boomers have passionately decided to take up the cause. Because, truth be told, many of the things they are protesting about Trump such as immigration, war and authoritarianism are not exclusive to him. These are problems found in both left and right politicians and policies.
Myself in addition to many others will be the first to admit that Trump is a very unlikable person. He’s hotheaded, vulgar and ridiculously obsessed with celebrities. But despite his big talk and promises to MAGA, he runs his administration quite similar to administrations before. He’s not a king. Not even close.
A puppet, maybe. And that’s something we can all protest about together.