As President Donald Trump was at his West Palm Beach-area golf club on Oct. 18, thousands around his home county took to the streets — from Palm Beach Gardens to West Palm Beach to Lake Worth Beach to Boca Raton — to protest his administration.
The “No Kings” protests coincided with about 2,500 other ones throughout the nation, including more than 80 in Florida.
Organizers said the aim of the protests, the latest day of nationwide demonstrations since Trump began his second term as president, called attention to the administration’s immigration policies, National Guard deployments and tariffs.
The West Palm Beach protest was on Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard at the Target store, about 6 miles north of Trump International Golf Club, where the president arrived about 9:15 a.m.
Mike Alvarado, a 65-year-old retired firefighter, stood holding two signs on one stick that said “Food prices still high!” and “Trump betrayed you!”
Alvarado said he had never participated in a protest before this year, but that this was his third of the year against Trump’s policies and antics.
“I’m doing this for my daughter,” he said. “I’m good. I’m retired. I want to provide a better future for my daughter.”
As for why he’s protesting, he said if he had to boil it down to one thing — “the cruelty,” he said.
Mike Alvarado, a 65-year-old retired firefighter, joins the ‘No Kings’ demonstration in West Palm Beach on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025, protesting President Donald Trump and his policies. Trump was in Palm Beach that day, spending the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago resort.
U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel walked the length of the West Palm Beach protest to survey the crowd. She said she was impressed by the turnout and the event’s peaceful nature.
“This is what democracy looks like,” said Frankel, a former mayor of West Palm Beach. “Silence is deadly. I’m so proud of our community.”
Five pro-Trump counter-protesters set up in front of the McDonald’s alongside the Target. They played recordings of Trump speaking over a megaphone and chanted “Trump’s your daddy,” “Baby killers” and “Illegal is illegal.”
David Hoecker, 90, stood alone among the crowd at the Palm Beach Gardens protest along PGA Boulevard near The Gardens Mall. He didn’t shout at cars or wave a sign or wear a messaged hat or a costume. He kept his hands clasped behind his back and stood vigil, his hearing aid aimed away from the honks.
“I’m making a statement,” said Hoecker, a retired Lutheran pastor and a lifelong Republican. “I’m supportive of those who are not supportive of Trump.”
Hoecker said it was his first rally ever. Compared to those around him, he used mild language to describe his “lack of appreciation” for Trump and said he respects those who feel differently; like his children, he added.
Their conflicting views haven’t strained their relationship, Hoecker said.
“We just make a point of not talking about it.”
Cathy Mulcahey, 81, of West Palm Beach, appears at a No Kings rally in Palm Beach Gardens on Oct. 18, 2025.
Cathy Mulcahey, 81, of West Palm Beach, sat along the edge of the crowd at the Palm Beach Gardens rally. She hoisted a handwritten “No Kings” sign above her walker.
“My father was an immigrant. My parents, my late husband, my grandson, my brother — they were all in the military,” she said. “I’m a retired lawyer. I believe in the U.S. Constitution, and I hate to see its values trampled for profit.”
Other “No Kings” protests took place outside Boca Raton City Hall and Lake Worth Beach City Hall, all while Trump was marking his 11th trip to Mar-a-Lago since his inauguration in January and his 12th to Florida since regaining the presidency. It is also the third time this year his Palm Beach visits have coincided with nationwide protests against him.
There were no reported issues at the West Palm Beach protest. A Palm Beach County sheriff’s deputy said the Palm Beach Gardens protest had been peaceful.
Eric Carter of Loxahatchee holds his flag saying ‘“No kings, no tyrants, no Nazis’ at the ‘No Kings’ demonstration in West Palm Beach on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. The event protested the policies of President Donald Trump.
At the West Palm Beach protest, as the crowds swelled and spread to both sides of Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard at about 12:40 p.m., Eric Carter of Loxahatchee stood alongside the road waving a flag amid the honks that said “No kings, no tyrants, no Nazis.”
He said this was his second protest this year against “this fascist regime.”
He said it was important for people to speak out whether or not Trump and his supporters listen.
“Some voice is better than no voice,” he said.
Stephen Nie, a volunteer with the group Palm Beach Indivisibles, leads cheers at the ‘No Kings’ demonstration in West Palm Beach on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. It was one of four protests against the policies of President Donald Trump in eastern Palm Beach County that day.
Stephen Nie, a volunteer with the group Palm Beach Indivisibles, which organized the event, paced up and down the grass lawn in front of Target leading the crowd in chants.
A certified emergency medic who’s training to be a firefighter, he said he knows events like Saturday’s won’t change many people’s minds or affect how Trump governs. But he said they were an important way for people troubled by the country’s direction to find strength in solidarity.
“People are brave,” he said. “They are standing up.”
Hannah Phillips, Andrew Marra and Diamond Walker are journalists for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY-Florida Network. Reach them at hphillips@pbpost.com, amarra@pbpost.com and dwalker@pbpost.com. Support local journalism: Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Thousands attend protests throughout Palm Beach County
