Updated as of 1:08 p.m. on June 14 to include interviews and photos from the event.
HILLSBOROUGH - Over 200 protesters gathered at 11 a.m. on June 14 at the Hillsborough courthouse to protest President Donald Trump and his policies as a part of the nationwide No Kings protest.
The protest in Hillsborough is one of over 60 happening in North Carolina and over 2,000 happening across America. Concerned Carolinians, an unaffiliated grassroots political action group, hosted the demonstration, with member Bob Conrad calling the event one of the largest demonstrations in Hillsborough’s history.
“I just can't believe the number of people,” Conrad said in an interview with Elon News Network. “It's just beyond our wildest expectations for a small town like this, it's just wonderful.”
The protest is a response to what nationwide organizers are calling “authoritarianism, billionaire-first politics, and the militarization of our democracy,” according to the No Kings website. The mobilization is also a response to military forces exercised in recent protests in Los Angeles against President Trump, his immigration policy and Immigration Customs and Enforcement.
The No Kings protest is not the first nationwide protest against President Trump, with the Hands Off protests occurring this past spring. North Carolina had over 30 Hands Off protests in April 2025.
Since the start of these protests, President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have deployed 700 Marines and more than 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles. Protests against President Trump’s immigration policy and ICE have started in New York City, Chicago and Seattle.
While the protest in Hillsborough has remained peaceful since the start of the event, Conrad said he was worried about federal law enforcement coming to the protest.
“That's one of the things that we were a bit concerned about today,” Conrad said. “But Hillsborough is just an incredible place to do this.”
North Carolina Governor Josh Stein urged North Carolinians to protest peacefully if they choose to do so in a post on X.
“The right to peacefully protest is sacred and enshrined in our First Amendment, and I will always work to protect that right,” Stein wrote. “I urge everyone who wishes to be heard to do so peacefully and lawfully.”
Hillsborough, which has an estimated population of less than 10,000 people, is the equivalent of about 2% of the population of Raleigh, North Carolina.
While protests are happening across the country, President Trump will be hosting a daylong festival and parade in Washington, D.C., to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army.
Retired North Carolina congressman David Price, who attended the protest, said to the protestors who gathered in Hillsborough that President Trump is a threat to democracy.
“Across this country, patriots are rallying with a special message to Donald Trump on his birthday,” Price said to the crowd. “You are not a king.”
Price also said the day-long festival and parade celebrating the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army is an exploitation of the U.S. Army.
“He has shanghaied our military,” Price said. “He’s shanghaied an important occasion honoring the army and its 250th birthday, which all Americans respect, and he’s tried to exploit it for his own glory.”
Xavier Adams, an Orange County public school teacher, said during the protest that he decided to speak at the protests for his students.
“Students are our future, but they're also our current moment,” Adams said in an interview with Elon News Network. “Protecting their present and future is the most important thing to me.”
Adams also said that the best thing community members who are concerned about the state or federal government can do is get involved with their local government any way they can.
“Regardless of what happens federally, or perhaps even because of what happens federally, what we do in our local communities matters the most,” Adams said.
A majority of the demonstrators left the site around 12:20 p.m. Protests across the state, including a rally in Raleigh at the North Carolina State Capitol at 4 p.m., will continue throughout the day.