Nomeites join nation in protests against Trump, Musk

Last Saturday, people in more than 1,200 locations across the country rallied against President Donald Trump and the so-called Department of Government Efficiency and its leader Elon Musk, in what is so far the largest anti-Trump demonstration during his second term.
The ‘Hands Off’ protest brought dozens of Nomeites to Anvil City Square to hold signs and give brief speeches.
Roxanne Thurman organized the protest. “My friend and I just felt compelled to act because we just couldn’t bear telling our grandchildren that we sat silently while our nation was torn apart,” Thurman wrote in a letter to the Nugget describing the planned protests last week.
Thurman said she was surprised to see how many people showed up, as she had thought it might just be her and a few of her friends.
Protestors raised a variety of concerns, from the treatment of Greenland to the loss of veteran benefits. Signs referred to the recent stock market crashes, defunding of scientific research, and fears that Trump will cut SNAP, Medicare, and Medicaid, and ignore the Missing and Murdered Indigenous People crisis. Several signs were against Project 2025.
Josie Bourdon and Mary David held a sign painted with a Greenlandic flag which read “Trump, Sugunai Kalaallit Nunaat,” or “Trump Leave Greenland Alone.”
“They eat seal, muktuk, fish, just like us. The flora, the fauna is the same like here in Nome,” said Bourdon, who said she listens to Greenlandic news to listen to the language and get their national news. “Kind of struck a chord with me that America and Trump wants to get a hold of it, and I don’t think it’s right. So that’s my sign.”
Town sentiments weren’t unanimous, and Steven Longley spoke from a pro-Trump perspective.
“I voted for every Democrat that ever won the presidency since 1978,” said Longley, adding that he would have voted for Bernie Sanders if he had run against Trump the first time. He said Trump had “some serious, serious issues,” but he had voted for him three times, “because the Democrats did not have somebody I could vote for against him.”
“I read your signs. There’s a rebuttal to each one of your signs, if you guys do your research,” said Longley. Some protestors shouted him down while others said every side should have a chance to speak, and Longley left.
Anna MacArthur said that “we can’t afford to dismiss each other” as “democracy is big enough for everybody.”
She pointed to the recent Wisconsin Supreme Court judge election, calling it part of “a wave that’s building.” In that race, Elon Musk spent more than $25 million to support the Republican candidate for the office, but his candidate lost to his opponent, a Democrat.
“People rose up and they said, ‘We are not gonna take this anymore,’” said MacArthur. “He put in $20 million, and you know what? He couldn’t buy Wisconsin.”