Beth Ann Rosica: Protest theater in West Chester — hate has a home, after all

I am not a fan of Donald Trump, even after reluctantly voting for him in November because the alternative was not palatable. I support many of his policies but think he could do a better job communicating and implementing them. His “throw spaghetti against a wall and see what sticks” approach to issues creates unnecessary chaos and confusion.

Despite my criticism of him, I really don’t understand the “No Kings” marches. Donald Trump is many things, but he is clearly not a king. Kings don’t negotiate deals or course-correct when their constituents don’t agree with a policy. Kings don’t allow cabinet members to make independent decisions.

Most importantly, a king would not allow the types of protests that occurred across the country on Saturday. Kings don’t support free speech, and ruling monarchs often take extreme measures — up to and including death — against anyone who publicly criticizes them.

The very action of protesting in the United States indicates that we have no kings, thus the entire concept of a “No Kings” rally is an oxymoron. 

Putting the ridiculousness of the name aside, thousands of people showed up locally in Southeastern Pennsylvania to join the protests. In my local town of West Chester in Chester County, several thousand people took to the streets with their signs and flags.

I walked around a bit to get a sense of the crowd and here is what I saw: a bunch of miserable, white middle-aged-to-older people, most of whom were women, and many who hadn’t been to the gym in a while.

Unless West Chester’s protest was significantly different in demographics from Philadelphia’s, Inquirer columnist Will Bunch viewed the event through rose-colored glasses. His commentary celebrated the protestors, praising their “overriding message” of “courage.”

The piece opened with an inflammatory statement typical of Bunch pandering to his far-left readers.

“It would be a gross understatement to say it rained on Donald Trump’s birthday parade Saturday night. Man, it poured.”

From there, he discussed “the unforgettable day when several million regular people marched for an event called ‘No Kings’” where “the American flag was mightier than the tank.”

In West Chester, I would hardly call the protesters “regular people.” It was the same group of left-over hippies and community activists who regularly show up on the same street corner every week to protest our troops. These are the same people who showed up at the local Tesla dealership to protest Musk and DOGE.

Bunch’s description of the Philly contingent is very different from what I saw.

“An informal glance at Saturday’s crowd suggested a growing diversity of causes,” wrote Bunch “Although African Americans remained underrepresented in a city with a large black population, those who did participate included some protesting the ongoing war in Gaza, as well as more college or high school-aged marchers, and more Latinos as well.”

I did not see many, if any, college or high school-aged students or people of color. Even Bunch acknowledged that African Americans were not aptly represented, and he failed to mention that the participants were overwhelmingly white.

He waxed philosophical about the American flag and its importance to the “No Kings” movement.

“Some marchers even wrapped themselves in Old Glory, as the Stars and Stripes bobbed like whitecaps above the human tsunami advancing in Rocky style toward the Art Museum steps.”

In West Chester, the American flag was not the only prominent flag on display. In addition to Mexican flags, which could actually be relevant, there were plenty of Palestinian flags. While there is no rational connection between Palestine and Trump’s status as king, the progressive protestors could not help themselves, adding this battle cry to their list of grievances.

Despite Bunch’s assertion that “the American bloodshed in a tumultuous 2025 is coming in from the right side,” the folks at this rally pushed messages inciting violence against the President. In addition to this sign,” off with his head,” others read “is he dead yet?” and “86-47,” a reference to killing Trump. 

And of course, there was at least one progressive-requisite “hate has no home here” sign, despite the violent messages displayed. Clearly, hate for Trump was on full display at the protest, but the progressives deem that not only acceptable, but necessary.

Perhaps the most disturbing part of the rallies is the fact that the organizers have completely missed the opportunity to address what could be considered legitimate issues. I can understand if the protesters believe that it is not humane to deport people after living here for many years. If that is the case, then make that case. 

Protest the policy. March against deportations. Articulate an informed, compassionate position and stand by it.

Sadly, that is unlikely to happen. The progressives and columnists like Bunch are suffering from intense Trump Derangement Syndrome and are incapable of focusing on common sense policies and positions. Instead, they would rather focus on and support issues like men in women’s sports, the genocide of Jews, and violence against our President.

The far left and the protestors applaud hate against certain groups and particularly those who disagree with them. It seems the epitome of white privilege for a bunch of middle-aged, highly educated, suburban, white women in affluent Chester County to rally against hate while calling for violence.

Beth Ann Rosica resides in West Chester, has a Ph.D. in Education, and has dedicated her career to advocating on behalf of at-risk children and families. She covers education issues for Broad + Liberty. Contact her at barosica@broadandliberty.com.