President Donald Trump’s second inauguration raised contradictory feelings from residents in the Iowa City area. Some were moved to participate in a national march in protest, while others eagerly awaited the Republican’s return to the Oval Office.
Over a hundred people marched in the Coralville branch of the People’s March as a part of nationwide demonstrations on Saturday.
In solidarity with the larger national protest, the People’s March community members, leaders, and activists marched during freezing temperatures Saturday morning.
The People’s March, known previously as the Women’s March, has taken place every year since 2017. The movement was organized by a coalition of groups with the intent to confront “Trumpism,” according to its website.

Over 98,000 attendees marched at 382 events nationwide on Jan. 18, according to the movement’s website. There were also 79 additional events marked as upcoming.
Co-organizers of the local event, Mary Cohen and Marie Garry, emphasized the importance of building a strong community and making connections.
“There’s a longing, a great longing, in many of us, given the times that things feel very difficult and challenging, and we need each other,” Garry said. “We need to learn to lift each other up, and singing and creating communities is how we do that.”
Cohen led the group in song at their meeting place in the basement of the Coralville Library. Clapping and singing, the crowd ranged greatly in age. Toddlers bounced on the knees of their parents, and old friends gave warm embraces to newcomers.
Johnson County supervisor Mandi Remington said she felt encouraged by the number of community members who are willing to come together and stand up for issues that matter.
“It really does matter, baffled and angry as I am, that we are somehow together here, going into another Trump presidency,” Remington said.
Founder and director of the Corridor Community Action Network, Remington advocates staunchly for the rights of LGBTQ+ Iowans. Remington emphasized the connection between different communities’ struggles and the importance of collaborating on issues such as reproductive freedom, housing and food insecurity, and racial justice.
“It’s about showing up, taking care of each other, and being committed for the long term,” Remington said. “It’s about more than kindness and good intentions. It’s about action. It’s about stepping up when our neighbors are under attack, whether that is by hateful rhetoric or unadjusted laws, or policies that strip them of their basic human rights.”

The group then marched to Coralville City Hall and the Coralville park, holding poster boards inked with “Love not hate makes America great” and “Bans off our bodies.”
Kirra Hayslip of Cedar Rapids held a cardboard sign with “What we allow will continue” scrawled on in black lettering.
“The country feels scary right now, but there’s still love and stuff around, and your actual little community makes more of a difference than anything,” Hayslip said.
Carmen McCoy of Cedar Rapids said Trump’s inauguration resurfaces old feelings from 2016, such as fear and anxiety, that she hoped people wouldn’t have to feel again, and looking to the future results in fears about if certain rights will be taken away.
“It’s one day at a time,” McCoy said. “Unfortunately, we’ve got to just make sure that the little voices aren’t forgotten — that we’re all here to support each other.”
Return brings ‘sigh of relief’ for some Iowans
Iowa Republicans felt a different sentiment for President Trump’s inauguration Monday: excitement, relief, and hope.
Mary Weston, state chair of the Iowa Federation of Young Republicans, said she expects Trump to restore common sense values, have a strong grip on the country’s policies, and increase involvement in the international scene.
“It’s a sigh of relief that we have someone in office who’s to be respected, who does not make our country a laughing stock,” Weston said. “He’s someone that people fear, and [they] will not mess with our country.”
Weston said she hopes Monday will be the turn of a new page for the country, not just for Republicans, but for everyone.
“I’m excited, and I really hope that Democrats will give him a chance to prove himself,” Weston said. “I think that they’re going to see that it’s going to be okay if we all take a deep breath and kind of watch what happens.”
Johnson County Republican Chair Teresa Horton Bumgarner served as an Iowa delegate at the Republican National Convention in July. She was on the convention floor when Trump gave his presidential nomination acceptance speech.
Bumgarner said Republicans worked hard in Iowa and Johnson County to get Trump re-elected, and it feels gratifying to see that hard work pay off.
Bumgarner is excited to have Trump’s proposed policies enacted, especially the creation of the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, and his policies are not partisan but rather what is best for America, she said.
Drake Riddle, secretary for the University of Iowa’s College Republicans, said he is eager to see Trump’s immigration plan enforced, including a plan to deport undocumented people who have committed crimes and building a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border. Riddle is also eager to experience economic relief from Trump’s plan and have inflation lowered.
“I’m really just excited to see America be great again,” Riddle said. “You know, ‘Make America Great Again’ was the saying of the Trump movement. And I think he’ll really try and make that happen.”