Hundreds of Nebraskans gathered along Nebraska Parkway in Lincoln on Saturday to protest against the Trump administration, while thousands more assembled near Northwest Radial Highway in Omaha as part of the statewide No Kings demonstrations.
Organizers held the third round of No Kings protests across the country, bringing people together to express frustration with President Donald Trump and his administration’s policies. In Lincoln, protesters met on the Helen Boosalis Trail between North 27th Street and North 56th Street.
“I don’t like what’s going on … I know it’s not the world I want to live in,” said Ford Kloepper, a 17-year-old Lincoln resident.
Kloepper said people his age will bear the “brunt” of Trump’s “mistakes.” He said the recent U.S. conflict in Iran pushed him to protest, as he does not want to get “drafted into a war in the Middle East for no reason at all.”
Like in previous demonstrations, many protesters held anti-Trump signs with slogans such as, “Trump lies” and “Stop Trump, save democracy.” Others carried American flags and wore costumes. Volunteers from various groups collected signatures for ballot initiatives and at least one candidate. One petition aimed to allow voters to decide on a state constitutional amendment that would require larger majorities to repeal or change any voter-approved law. Volunteers supporting nonpartisan U.S. Senate candidate Dan Osborn gathered signatures to place him on the November ballot.
Organizers scheduled 18 protests across Nebraska. In Omaha, thousands of protesters gathered at Gallagher Park, filling sidewalks and grassy areas near the intersection of Maple Street and Northwest Radial.
Organizers said the location helped protesters draw attention to historic Benson and the many restaurants, galleries, and coffee shops that have made the neighborhood a cultural destination since 1887. Among the diverse crowd of different ages and races were Lorin and Elwin Moseman, waving signs that read, “End Wars Before Wars End Us” and “No Kings No ICE.”
It was the Mosemans’ third anti-Kings rally, and despite the chilly weather, they said they would not have missed it.
“It could have been an ice storm,” said Elwin, who said he was especially motivated by “the Epstein files and Trump being in them, this stupid war we’ve got involved with Iran.”
His wife, Lorin, said she attended to “stand up for democracy.”
“I want to show up, stand up and speak out about our country,” she said, criticizing “leadership incompetency from the very beginning.”
She added that the nation needs a presidential job description and interview, and she did not hold back in expressing her disgust and disappointment with current leadership: “Shameful, disgusting, exhausting.”
“We’re in a broken world,” she said.
Nearby, a bundled-up woman in a wheelchair held a sign that read, “I’m mad about everything.”
Sara Peterson led buses carrying about 75 protesters from First United Methodist Church of Omaha. She said people felt a sense of unity and joy as they watched the chanting crowd, which reflected her group’s makeup — diverse in age, ethnicity, and political affiliation.
“We’re not alone,” she said “It’s an exciting day to be a part of.”
Peterson described the rally as a “tangible sign of people coming together … for democracy.” Her group included church members and their friends — some of whom had never taken part in a protest or rally before but felt compelled and were encouraged “out of their comfort zone to take back our country and democracy.”
Since Trump’s return for a second term, the anti-Trump group has organized protests nationwide. Nebraska, like much of the country, saw multiple demonstrations throughout 2025.
The group also purchased ads in local newspapers ahead of the Saturday protests. Nebraska Republican Party chair Mary Jane Truemper did not immediately comment on the demonstrations.
As Election Day approaches, political observers have questioned how organizers might channel this energy — whether the demonstrations could signal a wave of change at the polls or if the momentum will fade once the crowds disperse. Some argue that Democrats and progressives excel at mobilizing large-scale protests but have fallen behind conservatives in building local infrastructure to drive sweeping policy changes.
Back in Lincoln, Erik Betts, a student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, said the political climate favors Democrats, and he believes the possibilities are wide open, even in a reliably red state. He said he thinks Osborn could defeat Republican U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts, and he hopes a strong “blue” wave could also unseat Nebraska 1st Congressional District Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Flood, a former speaker of the Legislature.
“We need to really show up this time …We’ve got to take this motivation … and make a difference,” Betts said.
Betts said events like these keep him hopeful because they remind him he is not alone.
“When you are in your own house and just scrolling on social media, it’s easy to feel just defeated,” Betts said. “So I come out as much to show support for everyone else, to feel that maybe a bunch of people agree with [me] and things can change.”
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