With signs reading “Deport Musk” and “Stop the Steal,” and shouts of “No fascist USA,” some 200 protesters descended on the State House in Concord to denounce President Donald Trump and decry what they called a “coup” by the elected president.
“It’s a coup. It’s a coup, not by violence, but it’s a coup taking over the government from people that are outside, that have not been elected,” said Rick Simpson from Hancock, N.H.
The raucous protest, which featured frequent shouts of ‘F— Trump,” began at noon and lasted for hours.
The most frequent chant was “No Trump, no KKK, no fascist U.S.A.,” but there were also shouts of “Federal workers, don’t resign!”
While the protesters addressed a wide range of issues, from supporting biological males in girls’ sports to urging federal workers not to accept buyouts, the overarching message was their opposition to the Trump administration — in particular, the role played by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk.
Various speakers used megaphones to declare Musk part of the “coup,” claiming he is illegally taking over the federal government.
The protest repeatedly mentioned “Project 2025,” a proposal released by the Republican-aligned Heritage Foundation. Since 1980, the D.C.-based think tank has released similar proposals every four years, hoping to influence GOP presidents. But Democrats spent millions of campaign dollars last year trying to convince voters that it was Trump’s plan for governing. The Trump campaign rejected those accusations, pointing to its own “Agenda 47,” released during the campaign.
Protest attendees insisted the first two tumultuous weeks of the Trump presidency are straight from the pages of “Project 2025.”
“He said he didn’t know what Project 2025 was, but he’s implementing it,” said Holly Cooper from Concord. “And my understanding is some of the executive orders, the metadata shows it was taken right from Project 2025.”
Asked why they attended the protest, Holly and her husband Ward said they wanted their opposition to Trump’s actions to be heard.
“I’m here because all the changes that Trump’s making are making me feel helpless. And I found out about this, and I thought, ‘Okay, this is one thing I can do,'” Holly Cooper said.
“I’m with her,” said Ward Cooper. “Eliminating USAID and trying to abolish the Department of Education, all of what he’s done to reduce federal employees throughout the government.”
Ward said he is personally concerned about national parks and worries that Trump’s government downsizing will not provide the necessary resources.
“There won’t be enough (park employees) to keep people safe and keep the resources safe. And that’s just one example of the things Trump is doing,” Ward said.
New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte’s name was invoked several times during the protest, and at least one protester went to her office hoping to speak with her. When reporters asked about the protest, Ayotte said it was democracy at work.
“Everyone in this country has the right (to protest). It’s the beauty of America to express their views of what they believe about their leadership, including me, and that’s part of being an American,” Ayotte said.
As for the complaints about her fellow Republican, Donald Trump, Ayotte told reporters she had plenty on her own plate to keep her busy.
“As a newly elected governor, my focus is on the people of New Hampshire, and working with the administration where we can on issues that advance New Hampshire,” Ayotte said. “President Trump was elected on Nov. 5, and so was I. My job really is to advocate for New Hampshire every day.”
Asked by NHJournal if Trump was making her job harder or easier, Ayotte replied, “I actually don’t think about that.
“Just like any administration, whether it was a Democrat or Republican administration, there’s no doubt there’d be things that I like and things that I don’t like for New Hampshire,” Ayotte said. “If you think about issues like border security at our northern border, that’s something I strongly support, and I know that President Trump is working very hard on that. And so there are many issues where I think there’ll be very positive developments for New Hampshire.”
