COURT HOUSE – More than 100 people gathered in front of the Cape May County Courthouse on Monday, Feb. 17, to protest actions of President Donald Trump and Elon Musk that they said are unconstitutional and in violation of America’s intended checks and balances.
The Presidents Day protest coincided with gatherings in state capitals across the United States. According to AP News, protesters in major cities chanted “No kings on Presidents Day.” That message was reflected through chants and signs in Court House.
The protest is the second to occur on the Cape since Trump took office. Thirty to 40 protesters turned out in Rio Grande on Feb. 4 against the Trump administration’s aggressive rhetoric and actions targeting illegal immigrants. That rally took place at one of the busiest intersections in the county and brought vocal scorn from pro-Trump drivers-by.
A whirlwind of executive actions has occurred since then. Protesters who spoke with the Herald mentioned the administration’s targeting of transgender Americans’ ability to have their preferred gender reflected on their passport, the pausing and sometimes rescinding of funds designated by Congress, the shuttering of federal agencies, the firing of nuclear weapons workers at the Department of Energy and the opening of a containment area in Guantanamo Bay for illegal immigrants who have committed a crime.
The weekend before the protest, on Feb. 15, Trump posted a quote that has been historically attributed to Napoleon Bonaparte. “He who saves his Country does not violate any Law,” the president tweeted.
A lack of transparency was central to many of the signs and chants at the protest, with references to “fascism,” a lack of law and order and frustration that an unelected private citizen, Musk, has unilateral sway to make cuts to government services.
Mary Fox, who drove to the protest from Cape May, said she is worried about potential cuts directed by the “world’s richest man” to Medicaid, Social Security and other social safety net programs. She expressed concern that the administration is not complying with court orders and expressed skepticism of the executive branch’s wide interpretation of its own power.
“Elon Musk doesn’t have the authority to do this, but I guess it’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission. They’re accessing IRS, Treasury records that they can’t legally have. I can’t sit here and do nothing,” Fox said.
Carolyn Rush, a Democratic candidate for the Assembly in the 1st District, spoke against Trump’s executive order that would deny American citizenship to children born on American soil to noncitizens. The order, “Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship,” was paused by a preliminary injunction granted in federal court.
Rush said that the 14th Amendment enshrines this right. She was one of several speakers who gathered in front of the courthouse and addressed the crowd.
“We have to put pressure on our legislators, let them know we’re not happy with what is going on,” she said to the Herald after the protest. “This can’t be a one-off, we can’t just raise our voice on Presidents Day.”
Andrea Nieves, who organized the protest, said that she was surprised at the lack of counter-protesting in Court House. She called the turnout “hopeful and encouraging.”
“There were only a few cars that passed by and gave the protesters the middle finger,” Nieves said. “The amount of horns beeping in solidarity with the protest was amazing. It was constant.”
Nieves began planning the protest two weeks in advance to synergize with the national day of protest.
“I had no doubt that people would show up because there will be almost nobody that won’t be affected negatively by what Trump and Musk are trying to do, except the very rich,” she said. “The Founding Fathers designed our government to have checks and balances. This was so no president could ever become authoritarian and a dictator. Right now, Trump and Musk are doing things illegally and trying to bypass those checks and balances.”
Signs at the protest expressed similar concerns. Signs read: “Save democracy,” “Demand leaders who obey the law,” “Uphold the Constitution,” “Fight truth decay” and “Fight fascism,” among other slogans.
Protesters told the Herald that they left with an optimistic feeling.
Ann McCabe, a local who helped found Equality Cape May, an LGBTQ+ advocacy group, said, “The overwhelming turnout and positive energy showed that people are ready to stay engaged and active for as long as it takes to ensure equality and fairness in our government.”
More protests are planned in the coming months, organizers told the Herald.
Contact the reporter, Collin Hall, at chall@cmcherald.com or 609-886-8600, ext. 156.
