COLUMBIA, S.C. — Thousands of people rallied at the South Carolina Statehouse on Saturday as part of the nationwide "No Kings" protests against President Donald Trump and his policies.
On the same day and in the same city, the University of South Carolina Gamecocks took on the University of Oklahoma Sooners and the South Carolina State Fair wrapped its final weekend.
Resident Sara Anders had a choice to make: take the tickets offered to attend the USC game or go down to the Statehouse.
"I was tempted to take it (the tickets). And my husband said, 'What do you think's more important?' So, that's why I'm here, really," Anders said. "Could have been at the game. Would have been at the game. But this feels important and (I) want to be a part of it."
Lilly Valentine, 17, attended the rally with her mom, Angie Baldwin.
Valentine said she wanted to be a part of the demonstration to rally for a future for her and for her future children. She said she also wanted to use her voice for those who may not be able to.
Next year, Valentine will be able to vote for the first time.
"I'm so excited," she said. "I'm so excited. I'm going to be wearing my pin, I'm going to be encouraging everyone else to vote. I'm so excited, genuinely."
"I'm so proud of her," Baldwin said. "... I have hope for our future because I see people like her. I'm just so proud. How could I not be?"
The capital city rally was one of several on Saturday that dotted the Palmetto State, where rallygoers held signs that read "down with fascism," "no kings" and called on voters to get active in upcoming elections.
It was not the first "No Kings" rally held in South Carolina, but it was the first held with a federal government shutdown in the background — another theme present on some of the signs.
After rallying at the Statehouse, hundreds of demonstrators marched to the governor's mansion.
On Wednesday in Hilton Head, Gov. Henry McMaster defended South Carolinians using their voice to protest, saying it's one of the reasons behind the Revolutionary War — freedom.
"Anyone can speak their mind," McMaster said, adding as long as they don't incite or commit violence.
"I probably won't be going to the rally," McMaster added. "... Anybody's welcome to speak their mind."
Some Republicans, including House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana, have referred to the protests as "hate America" rallies.
“I encourage you to watch — we call it the Hate America rally — that will happen Saturday,” Johnson said this week. “Let’s see who shows up for that.”
Local state GOP chapters, including the Beaufort County Republican Party, said they also reject the "no kings" calls.
"President Trump won the 2024 election in a landslide with a clear mandate to secure the border and restore law and order," the Beaufort County GOP said, in part, in their statement.
Todd Alley, a veteran and attorney visiting from Woodstock, Georgia, also emphatically rejected Johnson's statement that anyone at the rally on Saturday hates America.
"You just see good people," Alley said, listening the diverse groups at the Statehouse. "What you see, and what Mike Johnson would see if he got out of Washington and took a look, is America. That's what you see here."
In Rock Hill, where hundreds more gathered, Carol Kramer said it was good to see so many people attend the demonstration.
"It helps me feel like I'm not alone," Kramer said as drivers honked their horns in support of the protest. "Clearly they're with us. I think it makes all of us feel like our voice is getting out there."
In June, some 1,200 people in Rock Hill rallied as part of the nationwide "No Kings" protests, drawing attention to the Trump administration's immigration raids.
The overwhelming theme on Saturday was, many said, to call for the rule of law and an end to what resident Curtis LeMay described as a "march toward autocracy."
"We just keep going down hill and we just got to stop it," said LeMay, who held a sign calling for the health care system to be fixed.
In a Fox News interview Friday, Trump acknowledged the rallies, noting that people were referring to him "as a king."
"I’m not a king,” Trump told Fox News.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
