A ski instructor, a minister and a local GOP leader were among over 300 people who flocked to Jackson’s Town Square on Saturday.
The group of western Wyomingites at Jackson’s “Hands Off!” rally reflected widespread opposition to President Donald Trump’s latest policies.NPR reported more than 1,300 similar rallies of varying sizes took place in all 50 states.
The overflow was so large that between catching up with constituents, Mayor Arne Jorgensen was helping police keep flag waivers and chanters on the sidewalks and off the streets. Jorgensen said he hasn’t seen a rally that well-attended since the 2020 George Floyd protests.
Jackson-native Amanda MacFarlane holds a sign that says “Trump leave my benefits alone!” With pre-existing health conditions, the Vertical Harvest employee worries the medicaid health benefits she relies on are in peril. (Jenna McMurtry/KHOL)
The latest spate of Trump policies, from universal tariffs to widespread funding and job cuts directed by Elon Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency,” were a common target of frustrations that boiled over.
In Jackson, the focal point of the protests had a particularly local angle, with several protesters calling out federal layoffs, public lands and how the cuts to local funding hit close to home.
Jorgensen said fears of governmental overreach are applicable to public lands, which make up about 97% of Teton County.
“Particularly in a place like Jackson where our public lands are so critical to our community, both our economy and our culture and our identity,” Jorgensen said. “The risks to our public lands are real.”
Universal tariffs and a growing concern that Trump is challenging consitutional norms struck a chord with many, including with Teton County GOP member and county planning commissioner Alex Muromcew.
Michelle Fletcher, left, more often spends her days on the slopes as a ski instructor. But with the latest Trump policies, Fletcher decided to join her friend and co-worker August Friendsmith, right, at Jackson’s “Hands Off!” rally. (Jenna McMurtry / KHOL)
“The businesses I talk to are all of a sudden just putting everything on hold,” Muromcew, an asset manager, said. “They don’t know which way is up anymore and that’s going to hurt our economy. It’s going to hurt employment.”
Ski instructor Augusta Friendsmith has lived in Jackson for the last two decades and considers herself a frequent protest-goer. This one, however, she said had a bit more urgency than most.
“This is way more than just red and blue. This is fascism versus democracy,” Friendsmith said. “I hope that everybody sees that even in a red state, like Wyoming, we are standing up.”
Friendsmith came with a few co-workers who had never attended a rally before, though they have lived in Jackson nearly just as long, including fellow ski instructor Michelle Fletcher.
“So many things are happening that it’s just an attack against every single person in the United States,” Fletcher said. “It’s not that I was never pro any other movement, but this just encompasses every citizen of the United States.”
Fletcher said Trump’s strategy of flooding the public arena with change motivated her to attend her first rally, a sentiment echoed by the many other attendees who said they don’t typically go to rallies.
For others, it was the uncertainty around social security under Trump.
Tim Mclaurin, 39, attended his first protest on Saturday. “You don’t mess with medicaid,” he said. Some Congressional Republicans have eyed cuts to the federal program providing health coverage to millions of disabled and low-income Americans in the name of cutting what Trump has called “waste, fraud and abuse.” (Sophia Boyd-Fliegel / KHOL)
Marcela Badillo works with Voices JH, a nonprofit that provides resources for immigrants.
“When I get old, I don’t know if I will get social security. [How] would that affect my future?” she said.
Longtime Jackson resident Christine Goodman questioned the foundation of the nation’s democracy.
“I’m trying not to cry most days about what’s happening right under all of our noses,” Goodman said. “This isn’t political anymore. This is about saving our country.”
