Speaking during the rally, Tiburón said Tuesday was chosen as the rally date because it coincided with Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress in which he spoke about many of his executive actions. 

Since Trump took office Jan. 20, he has begun the mass deportation of undocumented immigrants and ended temporary protective status; banned transgender girls and women in women’s sports and diversity, equity and inclusion programs; enacted tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China; fired inspectors general tasked with holding government officials accountable; announced that the White House would choose the reporters in the daily press pool — and booted those he didn’t agree with; sided with Russia over the United States' democratic ally Ukraine; and created the Department of Government Efficiency (better known as DOGE) headed by Elon Musk, the world’s richest man and Trump campaign funder, to slash federal spending by shuttering federal agencies and firing thousands of federal workers. 

Many of these actions are facing legal backlash in courts. 

(Editor’s Note: the U.S. Constitution gives Congress the authority to create the federal budget and authorize federal spending, known as the “power of the purse.”)

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At the Orlando rally, protestors carried signs denouncing Trump’s actions, such as “No One Elected Elon,” "America Has No King," “Stop Whitewashing History,” “Protect Our Constitution” and “Americans Support Ukraine.” Other signs called on Congress to “Do Your Job” and “Stop the Madness.” 

Winter Park resident Kay Hudson, who chairs the League of Women Voters of Orange County’s Natural Resources Committee and one of many LWV members there, said she was attending the protest to support Ukraine even though she said she was attending in a non-partisan manner.

“They’re the ones that were under attack,” said Hudson, 69, referring to the people in Ukraine, who are fighting a war against Russia, which invaded the democratic nation three years ago. “ They're the ones who have their freedom in peril.”

Trump campaigned on reducing aid to Ukraine and ending the war. And days before Tuesday’s protest, Trump accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of “gambling with World War III” in a tense meeting between the two and Vice President JD Vance in the Oval Office. 

Sahara Bazan, a 21-year-old surgical technician from Kissimmee who was waving a Mexican flag, said she was concerned about mass deportations of immigrants and undocumented people and came out to fight for them.

A first-generation Mexican-American, Bazan gave a message to immigrants who might be afraid to be in the U.S.

“ I know a lot of people have already went back to our country, and you know what? Don't give up,” she said. “We're here to fight and we're here to make this country what it is. We are not criminals, we pay taxes, we contribute to the economy, we're here with all the same goal[sic] and the same reason, which is to keep pushing forward, achieve our goals, and give our kids a better opportunity than they have.” 

Organizers and leaders of several Central Florida advocacy groups also delivered speeches, focusing on different issues now under fire from the president. Wearing a feather headdress, a nod to their Taino heritage, Tiburón, who emceed the protest, was the first to speak and started off with an indigenous prayer complete with a conch horn. 

In his speech, Central Florida 50501 organizer Jude Speegle said:  ”Did you know that March 4, 1789, is the day the United States began operating under the Constitution, replacing the Articles of Confederation as the supreme law of the land? And we're in the midst of a constitutional crisis.”

Marilyn Baldwin, co-chair of the LWV’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility Committee, spoke about her experience being a disabled African-American woman and why DEI and accessibility measures are important. Amelia Burgos, Equality Florida’s development leader, talked about being a transwoman and U.S. Army veteran and Trump’s executive order aimed at banning transgender people from serving openly in the military.

“No one’s worried about what’s in your pants, I promise you,” Burgos said about the Army. “The only thing we worry about is if you can do your job.” 

Evelyn DeJesus, executive vice president of the American Federation of Teachers, talked about Trump’s spending cuts and attempts to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education. She pointed out that Florida uses federal money to employ teachers. Corey Hill, an activist and writer in Orlando, denounced billionaires working for the government, referring to Musk. 

Lamia Moukaddam, a founder of Central Florida Queers for Palestine, spoke about the importance of grassroots aid and called attention to the plight of Palestinians displaced during the Israeli-Hamas war in Gaza. Moukaddam said they themselves were displaced by Israeli occupation in Lebanon when they were young. 

“Real change does not come from the top down,” Moukaddam said. “It comes from the grassroots.” 

Alvaro Reyez, a 23-year-old automotive service representative from Apopka, said it was protests like these in his community that motivates him to keep speaking out about what he believes in.

“It’s constricting to see all the bad in the world,” he said. “But coming to events like this, you feel relieved that you’re not the only one fighting.