In Florida, there were 90 such protests, with another morning rally held 10 a.m. to noon at Orlando City Hall. That one was followed by Come Out With Pride, which was expected to bring 200,000 people to Lake Eola Park.

In the days leading up to the No Kings protests, prominent Republicans, like Speaker Mike Johnson, had described them as “hate America rallies” that would be full of “Hamas supporters” and “antifa types.”

Clermont’s rally drew a mix of families, folks with dogs, couples, friend groups, old people, young people and a broad variety of whimsical inflatables — this year’s favorite rally-wear — including unicorns, dinosaurs and a chicken with a Trump-like coiffure.

The rally also provided Democrat Dan Williams the opportunity to launch his campaign for the 11th Congressional District and gave voters the chance to see Williams and candidate Barbie Harden Hall onstage together as they delivered their stump speeches.

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Williams spoke about his Ask America plan that would allow voters to weigh in on issues in real time as well as increasing Congressional transparency. After being unable to get call data from Congressman Daniel Webster’s office or through a Freedom of Information Act request — Congress isn’t covered by FOIA, but there are other avenues for obtaining congressional records — Williams pledged if elected, to make his call data public and introduce a bill to require other members of Congress to do likewise.

Harden Hall, in her second congressional campaign, told the crowd she was running “to finish the job that we started to finally retire Daniel Webster.” She pointed to Webster’s voting record, noting that he’d been re-elected, then skipped nearly half of the first day’s votes. “Yes, on the day he was sworn in, he missed 40 percent of the votes,” she said, adding that she would be there for constituents.

“I hope I earn your vote because you’ll know that there will be somebody on the other side of the table that knows what it’s like to come to your representative and say I need your help. I know what it’s like to get to that point. And that’s the job. And right now we have somebody who doesn’t even give us that respect.”

A third Democrat, Royal Webster (no relation to Congressman Webster) just filed to run, but was too late to be included in the rally program, Doyle said.

"Not staying silent and complicit matters"

Mayor Tim Murray told VoxPopuli he never thought he’d see such a protest in Clermont, where he recalled growing up Black and having to enter businesses through their back doors. He said Clermont now is multi-cultural, but “more red than blue.”

“Times have changed, and with what’s going on in our government and democracy today, it’s a travesty. I’m glad to see people realize that we don’t need to be under dictatorship. We don’t need a king, so let them protest,” he said. "I know what it's like to have freedom and the rights taken away from it. That's why I can’t support a lot of the ideas and everything that I see going on because I don't think anybody should have their rights taken away. America is built on the principle of free enterprise, freedom of speech and all. So why you trying to restrict that?”

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Kellie Beck, chair of Ocoee’s Human Relations Diversity Board, was at the protest with a group of friends. She told VoxPopuli that she came out to protest in the area where her family has lived since the 1800s.

“It’s important that in a community that’s normally a little bit more on the red side, that the blue voices are still here," she said. "It matters that people are speaking up against what’s going on. I have friends that are scared to leave their homes without their passports to prove that they’re American citizens, and that’s not okay. So coming out and having our voices be heard and not staying silent and complicit in what’s happening matters.”

Marcia Drummond, who immigrated to the U.S. from Brazil in 1985, came to the rally with her daughter and grandson, a sophomore at University of Florida, to “fight for our democracy … especially for my grandkids.” Drummond recalled being in college during Brazil’s far-right military dictatorship from 1964 through 1985. “They don’t know what tyranny is,” she said, referring to her grandchildren, "but we have some ideas.”

Drummond’s daughter, Daniela Kovacsev, was 10 when the family immigrated. “I’ve loved this country ever since,” she told VoxPopuli. “The first song I ever heard was Proud To Be An American. I hate seeing since 2016 what this country has become … What has happened since 2016 has completely shocked me and shook me to my core. The lack of civility, the lack of truth, the lack of adherence to laws has been really shocking. I teach history so I know about authoritarianism. I know what it looks like. To actually be experiencing it, is very shocking to my system.”

In the parking lot next to city hall, VoxPopuli spoke to a unicorn seeking some shade from the afternoon sun.

“I study history and politics, and this is literally, if you're following the Dictator Takeover Playbook 101, what’s going on,” said Liz from inside the inflatable unicorn costume. She was visiting friends from Detroit. “I grew up protesting all kinds of stuff. My mom would take me. I marched for women’s rights. The whole bit. So to see this happening in my lifetime is absolutely stunning.”

Scarlet, 3, holding a sign that read, “No More Kings Just Pumpkin Queens” wanted to talk to Liz’s unicorn. Her mom Cady, of Winter Garden, told VoxPopuli she’d taken Scarlet to her first protest at age 2. “I wanted to be out here, so I think bringing her is the best thing to do. She loves coming out with us. She loves the chants. She goes home singing, Oh no! Donald Trump has got to go!”

Dale, a retiree from Clermont, said he and his wife Debbie don’t typically go to protests; this rally was their second. A former high school history and philosophy teacher in Vero Beach, he said he was beyond angry at what he saw happening in the U.S. At this point, he said, he was distressed.

“If we don’t stop this soon, it’s over. Really," he said. "I’ve been to Russia. I saw the people in Russia standing on the street corners, in the subways, with trinkets, trying to sell [them] to make a ruble to supplement their pensions. It was just heartbreaking. In the meantime, the oligarchs were just cleaning up, like they’re doing here.”

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Standing in the shade, a few feet away, were Pat and Bruce, retirees who winter in Clermont and spend the rest of the year in Maryland. Pat said they were “probably somewhat more Republican” but said now they vote for Democrats.

“These rallies are nice, but there’s only one thing that’s going to make changes and that’s the people,” added Bruce, a Vietnam veteran. “If you’re going to depend on Congress, Republican or Democrat, to make changes, it’s not going to happen. People have to go out and vote. And in November — if we still have elections in November — then we can do something. But don’t sit back and think your politicians are going to help you out. … It’s time you stand up and you do it yourself.”

Out on Hwy. 50, Kay from Clermont held a sign that read, “Don’t tread on our democracy.” She told VoxPopuli that she was there “because I believe in democracy. I believe in liberty and justice for all, and right now we’re losing it and losing it fast. So I have to be out here.”