From ‘F**k Trump’ to handshakes: ‘No Kings’ rally in Texas stays civil

Taylor, Texas — Located just northeast of Austin, Texas, Williamson County is about as split down the middle a county can get in Texas. It is also the home of a nearly 500-bed women’s ICE detention facility in the city of Taylor. For that reason, it was the site of one of the earliest “No Kings” protests in the state on Saturday. Blaze News traveled to Taylor to document the action.

Taylor is a small city of just over 16,000 people in Williamson County. Walking the streets, you can feel like you’re in a coastal, progressive enclave. Pride flags and murals dot the downtown landscape in a noted departure from small, rural Texas. Resistance bookstores advertise their selection of “banned books.”

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The fast-growing Williamson County has swung, like many counties in middle America, between support for Donald Trump and support for Joe Biden. In the 2024 election, President Donald Trump won the county by just over 2% of the vote. Trump narrowly lost the county in 2020.

Unsurprisingly, this led to a significant turnout of about 500 predominantly middle-aged, white protesters for the midmorning “No Kings” rally held on the corner of Main and 2nd streets in the city.

A variety of homemade signs expressed a potpourri of various left-wing sentiments from “no human is illegal” and “abolish ICE” to “deport Elon and Melania.” The ubiquitous “F**k Trump” was held high as the same sentiment blasted from car stereos. However, by far the most common signs were “No Kings,” a testament to how widespread this movement has become.

It seemed almost like an early Fourth of July parade in small-town America. The vibe was happy and peaceful, a far cry from the wanton violence seen in Los Angeles and other major cities. Most of the flags were American, with a smattering of Pride flags strewn about. The median age was definitely in the 50s, which speaks to the aging protest movement.

The majority of people didn’t want to go on the record with the media, but the sentiments they expressed were a general concern for immigrants and real anger at the administration.

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There was actually a nice moment involving the lone Trump supporter who showed up, decked out in an American flag, Tommy Bahama shirt, and MAGA visor complete with fake orange hair and a Trump-Vance sign. He had been engaged in a long discussion with a middle-aged woman with a “No Kings” sign. It ended with them agreeing to disagree, shaking hands, and wishing each other a good rest of their day. Perhaps civility isn’t completely dead.

Blaze News spoke with the Trump supporter, who gave his name as “an American patriot.”

He was asked why he decided to come out today and protest.

“I’m tired of doing nothing. I’ve been sitting at home, watching what’s going on, and I’m tired of doing nothing,” he said. “All they show on the news is one-sided, and there’s another side, and I think it’s bigger.”

Blaze News came to Taylor on a tip that there may have been a protest taking place at an ICE detention facility. A swift glace at the facility by car revealed there were no protesters, only a few seemingly bored security guards.

In statement to Blaze News on Friday, in anticipation of the protest, an ICE spokesperson said:

ICE respects the constitutional right of people to peacefully protest; however, assaulting, resisting, impeding, or harassing ICE officers and special agents or interfering in any way as they are executing their official duty is against the law. If any person assaults a federal law enforcement officer, they risk being prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

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