For nearly four hours Saturday, parts of Volusia and Flagler counties did not resemble the politically red places voting tallies have indicated they’ve been for the past several years.
At several anti-Trump “No Kings” protests across the two counties, thousands turned out to protest some of President Donald Trump’s decisions with signs, flags, T-shirts and chants.
“Stop pretending your racism is patriotism,” read one sign. “RIP Due Process, 1791-2025,” another sign proclaimed.
Another sign with a picture of Trump said: “Wanted: Kidnapping, torture, treason.”
And another: “Can someone take away grandpa’s phone before he starts WW3?”
For the most part, a peaceful demonstration
The crowds were cheerful and energized, and there were no reports of serious run-ins with counter protestors. A small handful of Trump supporters showed up briefly at the Daytona Beach protest, and both police and event organizers separated a few people with differing opinions who started arguing.
A stone’s throw from the nearly 1,000 people who gathered along State Road 44 in New Smyrna Beach was a group assembled to celebrate the president’s 79th birthday. But there were no reported tussles between the two groups.
“Today’s a fork in the road day for us,” said Luci Steffensen, one of the organizers of the Daytona demonstration. “I think people want to take their power back.”
What is ‘No Kings?’
Organizers say the nationwide “No Kings” demonstrations reject authoritarianism and declare that “the corruption has gone too far. No thrones. No crowns. No kings.”
The Just Us Volusia group that organized the Daytona Beach event says the nationwide rallies are also being held to “call out Trump’s $100 million taxpayer-funded parade and his administration’s assault on democracy and working people.”
An estimated 2,500 people wrapped around Daytona Beach City Hall for hours Saturday to protest much of what Donald Trump has done since he retook power as president in January.
The June 14 protests were expected to create the largest single-day mobilization since Trump returned to office in January. Organizers described it as a mass, nationwide protest “rejecting authoritarianism, billionaire-first politics, and the militarization of our democracy.”
The lead organizer is a group called Indivisible, which is partnering with backers of the 50501 Movement. They are also working with dozens of other advocacy groups.
Indivisible, a grassroots political activism group focused on progressive causes, was founded in response to Trump’s 2016 presidential election. Indivisible has branched out into a national network of groups, including over 75 in Florida.
The 50501 Movement is a grassroots initiative formed on Reddit under the hashtag #50501 in the early days of Trump’s second term. It stands for 50 protests in 50 states on 1 day, which has since evolved to 50 states, 50 protests, one movement.
Officials: 2,500 took part in Daytona protests
Daytona Beach’s “No Kings” protest took place in front of Daytona Beach City Hall at the corner of Ridgewood and Orange avenues. An estimated 2,500 people covered the sidewalk along Ridgewood Avenue to Palmetto Avenue to the east.
Signs could be seen everywhere.
“I didn’t vote for this clown, but I’m still stuck in the circus,” one sign read.
“When cruelty becomes normal, compassion looks radical,” another sign read. Others: “Resist like it’s 1938 Germany,” “Fight truth decay,” and “The Shart of the Deal.”
Americans have had five months to see how Trump would behave as president, and many of them are erupting in disapproval now.
Protesters also wore taco-shaped hats and even a full taco costume to play off the new “Trump Always Chickens Out” meme. One man wore a “Let’s Go Taco” T-shirt.
‘We have to do something for our children and grandchildren’
Passing motorists honked their horns in support.
But behind the signs, there were deep concerns of the people who held them.
“We have to do something for our children and grandchildren,” said 72-year-old Sue Omes, who was at the Daytona Beach protest. “If this is where we are after five months, what’s going to happen in the next five months?”
Omes said living through the 1960s was tough, but what’s happening now “is unbelievable.”
An anti-Trump protest was also held Saturday in DeLand.
Mary Daniels said the huge turnout “shows people are getting fed up.”
“We all feel so helpless and hopeless,” the 71-year-old Daniels said.
“Even people who voted for (Trump) didn’t want this,” said 70-year-old Wanda Williams. “He and his whole cabinet should be tried for treason.”
Some of the younger crowd weighed in as well.
“I hope the gravity of these events happening in our country will help move young people to get out,” said a 23-year-old woman who didn’t want to be named.
‘No Kings’ protests in New Smyrna Beach
Organizers of the “No Kings” rally in New Smyrna Beach estimated between 800 and 1,000 people lined State Road 44 with signs and flags on Saturday.
The event was mostly calm, even as some pro-Trump demonstrators mixed with the crowd, particularly along the sidewalk on the southeast corner of State Road 44 and Mission Drive, where local Republicans held a birthday party for the president, as well as honoring Flag Day and the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army’s founding.
About 100 Republicans attended the tailgate-style birthday party for Trump, as local political candidates gathered signatures and birthday cake was served.
At least five New Smyrna Beach police cars were parked in the area, as officers kept an eye on any potential skirmishes. There were lively sidewalk debates and arguments between motorists stuck in traffic and protesters.
A protester in New Smyrna Beach holds a sign reading, “Fight Ignorance, Not Immigrants,” during the June 14, 2025, No Kings rallies.
David Bruce, 83, of New Smyrna Beach wore a paper crown and waved a sign reading, “Little King Donnie.”
“We’ve had 14 people give us the finger while we’ve been doing this,” he said. “Out of the literally thousands … that doesn’t feel bad.”
Bruce said Trump’s actions in response to the immigration raid protests in Los Angeles typify how the president sows division.
“When we bring in the Marines, when we bring in National Guard to California when the governor and … the mayor of the city have not asked for that kind of support, what that does … that creates issues, and people respond to that,” Bruce said. “That’s something Trump loves to do. He builds upon the negativity and the anger of others.”
“I believe all of us need to get out here and make a showing, honey,” said Snookie DeMarce of Edgewater. “We haven’t wanted a king since 1776, and everything he’s doing, he’s acting like a king.”
DeMarce’s friend, 96-year-old Winnie Schlachter, sat in a shady spot in front of the Publix parking lot and held a “No Kings” sign. Her son Ken Cartisano, 72, also of Edgewater, said she dragged him to the protest.
Asked what king-like actions he believes Trump has taken, Cartisano responded: “Sending the military to Los Angeles when they’re not invited. They weren’t needed. How many signings has he made? Those are edicts. Each one is a separate edict, which is what kings do.”
Trump gets New Smyrna birthday party
The pro-Trump crowd mostly stuck to the parking lot party behind the WaWa, with tents and lawn chairs, but some supporters of the president shared the sidewalk with the “No Kings” voices.
Ethan Smith, an 18-year-old New Smyrna Beach resident who cast his first vote for Trump in November, and his girlfriend held a flag reading “TRUMP 2024: Take America Back.”
“The reason we came out here is to show we support President Trump. We understand what’s going on right now and we want to show support to him,” Smith said. “The ‘No Kings’ movement is moving around the United States and we just want to show a little resistance to that today.”
Smith said the pandemic and the years after 2020 were “the downfall of this country,” and he felt it attending New Smyrna Beach High School, where he said one of his teachers called him a “racist” for voting for Trump.
“That’s not American values,” he said.
Republican supporters intermingle with No Kings protestors while celebrating Trumps Birthday celebration in New Smyrna Beach, Saturday, June 14, 2025.
Volusia County Republican State Committeeman Vic Baker gave a speech before the gathering, and sang “Happy Birthday” to Trump.
Baker recited some of Trump’s accomplishments according to him, including securing the border and rebuilding the military, before addressing those protesting against him.
“Today, we’re facing 1,500 cities or more of these people out here, these useful idiots carrying signs that say ‘No Kings,'” Baker said. “We don’t have a king. The president said, ‘I’m not a king. If I were a king, I’d get things done a lot faster than I’m getting it done.’ … He knows he’s a constitutional president and a constitutional Republican.”
Baker said he expects a summer of protests, calling it an “insurrection” and “rebellion” before attempting to contrast the Republicans’ position.
“We’re celebrating everyday working Americans, because Donald Trump is the people’s president,” Baker said. “He’s not a president for kings. He’s not a president for titans. He’s a president for you, and you and you.”
Flagler County also protests Trump
Vicky Haley, a Flagler 50501 organizer, said two Palm Coast sign wave rallies drew about 1,100 protesters.
The island median at Palm Coast Parkway and Old Kings Road drew nearly 600 people, Haley said, while a similar-sized crowd lined the sidewalk along State Road 100 in front of the Target plaza.
Another demonstration on the Palm Coast Parkway bridge over Interstate 95 earlier in the morning drew about 50 people, while a fourth Flagler County protest occurred in Flagler Beach.
Some of the signs visible in a video taken by News-Journal reporter Frank Fernandez include: “GOP = Chickens,” “Impeach the tangerine tyrant,” and “No Kings: Stop Plan to Steal our Democracy.”
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: ‘No Kings’ protests in Daytona, New Smyrna Beach, Palm Coast peaceful
