Two days after the June 14 No King protests in a couple of thousand communities around the county, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy tweeted that his department “will NOT fund rogue state actors who refuse to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. And to cities that stand by while rioters destroy transportation infrastructure — don’t expect a red cent from DOT, either.”
Considering that any anti-Trump protest is ordinarily conflated by Trump acolytes with violent or “rogue” activity, you can see where the target is pointed: Widely. It’s not just at New York or Los Angeles or Chicago, because a lot of other communities were protesting last weekend, too. You might be surprised where.
Here were estimates of Idaho turnout for the No Kings event on June 14, which added together seem to approach 25,000 - a lot of anti-Trump protesters for this state. The numbers are only estimates - there are no “official” stats - but what we have says a lot.
Boise - 13,000. That sounds high - the real-time estimates were smaller - but look at photos of the Statehouse event and you’re seeing a heck of a lot of people, one of the largest Idaho crowds I’ve ever seen outside a major sporting event, uncommonly large by Boise standards. It seems to make sense only in the context of Boise city’s blue political coloration. However …
Coeur d’Alene - 2,000. Kootenai County has a lot of people, approaching 200,000, but this is still an enormous turnout for a county so blood red in its leanings: These days it does not elect Democrats to anything, period.
Hailey - 1,500. Okay, this is the Wood River Valley protest, conducted in an actual Democratic stronghold. But considering the population of the area, the number still is enormous, somewhere around one protester for every 10 residents, a stunning ratio likely outdoing Boise’s.
Idaho Falls - 1,400. Consider this a close match to the Coeur d’Alene story: Idaho Falls is a solidly Republican city. But evidently not everyone is on board.
Pocatello - 1,000. The university community provides something of a base in Pocatello, but this is one of the largest political crowds the Gate City has seen.
Sandpoint - 1,000. Bonner County is hard-core Trump territory. Who are these 1,000 people?
Twin Falls - 800. Another massive turnout considering the political leaning of the area.
Clarkston, Washington (with Lewiston) - 700. This is half-accounted for by Clarkston, where the event was held, but don’t be fooled: This valley is solidly Republican territory. Once Democratic, this area hasn’t evinced open support for the blue side in many years.
McCall - 500. The McCall area still has a small population with a very long-standing Republican voting pattern, albeit shifting a little in recent years; the appearance of so many anti-Trump protesters in this Republican place far from a larger city is remarkable.
Driggs - 500. Teton County is politically marginal, but its small and remote population makes the idea of getting this many people out for any political event is a shocker.
Moscow - 400. No great surprise here, given the University of Idaho community, but still a lot of people.
Nampa - 300. The politics of Canyon County would make you think everyone falls in line. The event there suggests that isn’t so.
Then there are the five smaller events: Salmon - 115 people; Silver Valley - 65; Bonners Ferry - 60; Rexburg - 50; Challis - 30. It’s not the numbers in these places, it’s the fact that protests were held in them at all. An anti-Republican protest in Challis? Really? That’s a true jaw dropper; a single person out there waving a sign would have been a surprise, much less 30.
To put this in perspective: These protesters are still a tiny fraction of the population of Idaho (which has about two million people), but the central point is that only a sliver of the people who think in a given way will be active enough to visibly stand on a sidewalk for several hours and protest. Each of these protesters is indicative of many others who didn’t show up. Not to mention that in many parts of Idaho, there’s an intimidation factor: Many people would feel unsafe putting their faces out there.
About 25,000 did it anyway. There’s serious dissatisfaction out there. Even in the scattered small towns of Idaho.