Roughly 200 protestors gathered on the steps of the Kentucky state Capitol to call for immediate action to rein in the sweeping executive action taken by President Donald Trump in his first days in office.
As they listened to speakers who parsed through several of the executive orders and actions of the last two weeks, protestors chanted “Forward together. Not one step back.”
Becky Ford drove into Frankfort, a two hour drive, alone. The 71-year-old resident of Breckinridge County didn’t know anyone else going to the protest and had never even attended one before. But she said she felt she needed to do something.
“I’m here to make the Congress quit worrying about their elections and worry about the people. This is sad, what they’re doing to us right now,” Ford said.
But she felt she didn’t have a choice, given her concerns over Trump’s actions and those of Elon Musk, the billionaire businessman now leading the Department of Government Efficiency or DOGE. In recent days the commission, which is not a Cabinet agency, has gained access to the Treasury Department's payment systems, which are responsible for processing trillions of dollars of spending every year.
“We can’t do nothing but what we’re doing today,” Ford said. “[members of Congress] are the ones that have to do something and they’re not.”
The protest came together with the help of a grassroots group of some 50 Kentuckians, according to KPR interviews with organizers prior to the event.
Louisville-native Jesse Abraham took on the role of lead organizer in Kentucky, saying he was “a nobody on the internet a week ago.” The protest largely coalesced online, via Reddit, Bluesky and Discord.
“We just wanted to make sure that we were informed. Because the slew of information and misinformation and legislation and all this happening is so nuanced and filled with inaccuracies, with vulgarities,” Abraham said.
Similar protests occurred at state houses across the country. The national movement was loosely organized by Political Revolution, a progressive volunteer group and political action committee, state organizers said. A release put out by the group called for Trump to “step down or be removed from the presidency through impeachment,” among other demands.
Abraham in particular pointed to executive orders like the one targeting “radical indoctrination” in schools and another that targets diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in federal contracting and in the private sector.
Zachery Schaftlein, a factory worker from Elizabethtown, was part of the organizing committee. He said he worries about how Kentuckians, including his own family, will fare under some of the Trump administration’s recent actions. He worried in particular over tariffs, which Trump has threatened against major U.S. allies and imposed against China.
“According to the last 14 days, as far as I can tell, America first means Kentucky last,” Schaftlein said. “It's going to wreck our bourbon industry. It's going to wreck our automotive industry, which is responsible for most of the job growth in the last five years.”
Others who joined the protest specifically noted the fear and anxiety increased immigration enforcement has caused. Shayanne, from central Kentucky, is married to a man who entered the country without documentation. For fear of immigration enforcement, Shayanne shared only her first name with Kentucky Public Radio. She said the past couple weeks have been terrifying.
“I have people messaging me, ‘If you need somewhere to stay, if you need somewhere to hide, make sure you get fed,’” Shayanne said. “Everyday you wake up and I’m worried that my husband’s not going to come home. We have a child. We’re built a life here. He’s built a life here.”
Shayanne said she wanted the state Congressional delegation to be loud and stand up “for people who can’t right now.”
“If our government can’t do that, what’s the point in having them?” Shayanne asked.
Louisville co-organizer Sophie Graf said she was most concerned about reproductive rights and worried Congress might pursue a national ban on abortion — a near-total ban is already in effect in Kentucky.
“I'm a survivor of domestic violence and sexual assault. I think it's really important that we band together just to keep women safe, right? So attacks on bodily autonomy are not good,” Graf said.
Graf said she doesn’t necessarily expect immediate change to emerge from the protest; she said her goal was to begin connecting people to continue working down the road.
“One day of protest is a great demonstration, but it's not going to lead to lasting change, necessarily,” Graf said. “But what really can help is just people working together, meeting each other, so we can continue to work together and really help change what's happening in the country.”
This story has been updated.
State government and politics reporting is supported in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
