Thousands march in downtown Louisville against President Trump in 'No Kings' protest

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Thousands of people marched through downtown Louisville participating in the nationwide "No Kings" protest Saturday afternoon.

"No Kings" is a national movement protesting the actions of President Donald Trump and his administration and what organizers said is a slide toward American authoritarianism.

More than 2,600 rallies were planned for Saturday across the country.

"No Kings" protests were held earlier this year on June 14.

On Saturday, several protests took place around downtown Louisville. The largest started at the Belvedere with a large group of people marching down Main Street and looping around onto 8th Street and Liberty Street.

"I'm here to make sure that what Trump is doing is not Christian, it's not even human," protester Jay Boyd said. "It goes against everything we stand for, and we are exercising our right, so I'm just here to make sure our country doesn't fall to what Trump's trying to make it to be."

People carried various signs protesting against the crackdown on illegal immigration and demanding funding for healthcare, along with other hot-button issues.

"We're protesting for healthcare, we're protesting for our veterans, we're protesting for our children in schools, special education, kids on Medicaid, families that desperately need help and assistance," said protester Paige Schmidt.

Some counter protesters also showed up in support of President Trump.

"When you go to a protest you only get one side, I want to have the other side represented, I want to show people that there's still hope, there's still good and there's still moral right in this world," said one counter protester.

Jefferson County Republican Party Chairman, Don Fitzpatrick, said he supports Americans' First Amendment right to protest, but doesn't agree with the reasoning.

"Donald Trump's not trying to be a king, he's trying to be the best president that he knows how to be and so far, when you look at the economy, jobs, our national security just to name a couple of things, he's doing a good job," Fitzpatrick said.

Protesters during Saturday's protest said the main goal was to make their voices heard.

"We're all in this together. There's no reason we should be separated and divided for this," Boyd said.

Others hoped to inspire those who may feel unable to speak out.

"It's really important that people who are still at home, who are afraid to speak out, people who may not be able to speak out, understand that their voice can be heard in numerous different ways and that we can come together and make America exactly what it has and should be again and a better version of it," Schmidt said.

Other cities across Kentucky and southern Indiana also held "No Kings" protests.

Man in critical condition after being hit by vehicle in downtown Louisville

Louisville settles lawsuit over LMPD’s response to 2020 Breonna Taylor protests

Louisville drivers left in the dark as copper thefts delay highway repairs