How a 58-Year-Old Republican in Wyoming Became a No Kings Protest Organizer

Two-thirds of No Kings Day participants were not in major liberal cities. Here is the story of one man in the reddest state in America who organized his first ever political protest.

Gene Martinez has lived in Cheyenne, Wyoming, for 32 years. He voted Republican in every presidential election since 1992. He has never attended a political protest, organized a community event with any political dimension, or described himself as anything other than a conservative. On March 28, 2026, he stood on the steps of the Wyoming Capitol building and gave a three-minute speech to approximately 800 people — a crowd that, in per-capita terms relative to Cheyenne's population, would translate to several hundred thousand at a national scale.

'I'm not here because I hate Trump,' he told the crowd. 'I'm here because I love America. And what I'm watching right now doesn't look like the America I love.' He specifically mentioned the Iran war — launched, as he characterized it, without Congress and without allies being told in advance. He mentioned the dollar. He mentioned Ukraine. He did not mention abortion, immigration, or any of the issues that have defined Trump's political coalition.

Martinez's speech was shared on social media by a journalist from the Wyoming Tribune Eagle and accumulated more than 2 million views within 48 hours. The comments were deeply divided — some calling him a traitor, many calling him brave, several thousand from people identifying themselves as Republicans who shared his concerns.

His story is being cited by political scientists who study protest movements as an example of the demographic shift that distinguishes No Kings Day from previous Trump-era opposition. The protest movement of 2017-2021 was almost entirely located within the existing Democratic coalition. The No Kings movement of 2026 is, at its most politically significant, located at the margin of the Republican coalition — the voters who have supported the party but who have specific concerns about specific actions that no amount of partisan loyalty can overcome.

Martinez says he plans to vote Republican in the November midterms. He is not certain for which candidates.