On Tuesday morning, Trump announced 25 percent tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada.
Garrett Savory said they will be harmful to Alaska.
“The tariffs? Yeah, that's just a tax on lower income than middle income people. Yeah, I'm totally against them. Trump is making our relations around the world worse,” he said.
Ken Miller stood next to a sign that read: “We, the people appreciate our civil servants and condemn illegal mass firings.”
“I think that government efficiency is a good goal to strive for, but I think that it should be a deliberate process to make that happen, not just firing the people who got promoted the most recently. That's probably the worst way to do it,” Miller said.
Many of the 250 people holding signs and American flags along Cushman Street were connected to federal employees, like Heather Best.
“They’re getting rid of people who do really important jobs with no logical approach to it," she said. "I mean, there's definitely waste in government, but they're not getting rid of it the way they're going at it. They're just disabling a lot of agencies and the ability to get things done.”
She was holding a sign that read: “Congress, do your job.”
“It seems like everybody's kind of just laying down and letting Trump do whatever he wants. It's very frustrating to not have our representatives holding up one of the branches of our democracy,” Best said.
Mary Burtness agreed.
It should be a government of checks and balances, the supremacy of the executive branch that shouldn't be happening, and Congress is doing nothing to check our president right now,” Burtness said.
Diana Sparacino says she was always aware she was working with taxpayers’ dollars when she was a federal employee.
“Efficiency is a great thing, but I don't think this administration cares at all. I think they are trying to be cruel, and I'm sorry, this is just a one big chaotic disaster,” Sparicino said.
This is the second time in two weeks Fairbanksans assembled this way, lining the main street in front of Fairbanks City Hall as a representative government building. Tuesday's protest was three times the size of the one on Presidents Day.
Their signs read “Defend our Constitution,” “No cuts to Medicaid,” “No more Bullying,” “Respect Existence or Expect Resistance.”
Helenmarie Matesi said she feared people were trying to re-write American history.
“I am a patriot and I have great concerns about the things that are happening, and as a Black woman, some of the decisions that have been made recently distressed me greatly,"
Matesi said.
Various organizations around the country called for protests on March fourth; the 50501 group, meaning 50 states, 50 protests, one day, the NAACP, and “Light for our Democracy.”
Andrew Keller says his wife lost her job as a park ranger two weeks ago, but he actually wanted to express deeper worries, after President Trump announced Monday the US would cut off aid to Ukraine.
“I really love this country, in spite of some dark parts of the United States history. We are the hope of the world! Until now. The fact that we are now aligned with a brutal dictator, Vladimir Putin is absolutely unacceptable,” Keller said.
Another large protest is planned in Fairbanks for Saturday, March 22, but there could be more spontaneous events before then.
