BLACK MOUNTAIN – Organizers estimate more than 600 people gathered in Town Square for Black Mountain’s “No Kings” protest June 14. Swannanoa Valley residents lined the sides of Town Square and filtered through the interior, most carrying signs conveying their disappointment with President Donald Trump and the federal government.

"I'm really surprised and my heart is warmed by how many people are here," 18-year-old Lea Sribar said of the demonstration at the heart of a Republican-majority county.

A suspect was arrested in connection with threats made against state lawmakers who planned to attend Saturday's "No Kings" protest at the Texas Capitol in Austin, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Thousands of people in Collin and Denton counties joined the No Kings protests on Saturday as a part of a nationwide movement.

Townsend, a hair stylist in Cheney, Wash., never considered herself very political until she read the conservative blueprint Project 2025 last fall. Since President Trump’s inauguration in January, she’s attended seven protests in nearby Spokane.

Coordinated "No Kings" protests are happening from coast to coast, part of a "national day of peaceful protest" against the Trump administration, expected to draw millions. Protesters in some areas braved wet weather to raise signs and chant slogans supporting the rights of immigrants and criticizing what they see as Trump's power grab.