Hundreds march through downtown Sacramento to protest incoming Trump administration

Nearly 200 demonstrators took to the streets of downtown Sacramento on Saturday to protest the incoming Donald Trump administration.

The protest through downtown began and ended at Robert T. Matsui Federal Courthouse. Marchers, two days before Trump returns to office Monday as the nation’s 47th president, protested against the incoming leader, his policies and what they see as a billionaire class rising in political might.

“We wanted to show them that we are a united front that rejects Trump, but not only his agenda, but the systems that created individuals like him,” said Kevin Martinez, of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, as the procession headed toward I Street and the federal courthouse.

The group was among more than 20 locally affiliated with the march. Other similar demonstrations took place across the country, including a People’s March in Washington on Saturday.

As in the nation’s capital, the Sacramento marchers rallied for rights believed under threat from the incoming administration: immigrants’ rights; rights of transgender people; and reproductive and workers’ rights. Many also protested for the rights of Palestinians and the release of more humanitarian aid in war-ravaged Gaza.

One week earlier, a few dozen pro-Trump demonstrators convened outside California’s Capitol building for an “inauguration celebration,” listening to a lineup of conservative speakers and perusing Trump-branded merchandise.

Martinez and others on Saturday invoked slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., whose birthday was Wednesday and whose life is celebrated Monday — the same day Trump will be inaugurated — saying collective action like that in the Civil Rights Era will be needed to preserve and advance civil rights in the present day.

“History is made by millions of people,” said Martinez, a Sacramento resident. “We want to demonstrate that people have the power to meet the challenge.”

This story was originally published January 18, 2025 at 4:23 PM.

Darrell Smith

The Sacramento Bee

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Darrell Smith is a local reporter for The Sacramento Bee. He joined The Bee in 2006 and previously worked at newspapers in Palm Springs, Colorado Springs and Marysville. Smith was born and raised at Beale Air Force Base and lives in Elk Grove.