People hold signs and cheer during a “No Kings” protest Tuesday in the plaza between Cross State Office Building and the Maine State House in Augusta. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

AUGUSTA — Hundreds of people rallied outside the Maine State House on Tuesday afternoon to protest President Donald Trump, his adviser Elon Musk and their policies.

Demonstrators held signs that read “Corrupt Felon!” above a picture of Trump, “Maine resists” and “Arrest the orange fascist!!!”

They gave speeches, sang songs and read poems during a two-hour event encouraging peaceful resistance to the administration.

“People are protesting in support of our democracy and our constitution, and human and civil rights,” said Allison Harrell, one of the organizers of the event. “I think there is an acknowledgement that what is happening in the executive branch right now is not normal, that we’re seeing a real overreach of power and that our processes and rule of law are being undermined.”

The protest wasn’t organized by any specific group in Maine but rather by a grassroots coalition that wanted to participate in the effort led by 50501, a political action organization that has been planning protests around the country. The number is short for “50 protests, 50 states, 1 movement.”

“When we heard there was no organizing group for the next event from 50501, we just pulled this together,” said Harrell, who lives in Waldo. “It’s totally grassroots. People have really been wanting to get out and voice their concerns and be visible.”

The event came as Trump was scheduled to address a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night for the first time in his second term, and as the president has already taken aggressive steps to advance an agenda for remaking the government. Musk is leading an effort to drastically reduce the federal workforce on the heels of a whirlwind of executive orders from Trump during his first month in office.

Michelle Breton, of Sidney, was among those who attended Tuesday’s rally, carrying a sign that read “I need to be able to tell my kid that I did not stay silent,” along the outskirts of the protest held in the chilly March air.

Emily Gruchow, left, gives a speech about how the federal government programs helped her family as she was growing up at the “No Kings” protest Tuesday  in Augusta. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

Breton, a nurse practitioner, said she found out about the protest at the last minute and felt compelled to come.

One of her biggest concerns is cuts to Medicaid proposed by congressional Republicans. She worries about her patients and also knows firsthand how valuable the program is because it helped her family pay for treatment when her son had brain cancer.

“The potential cuts on the table would be so devastating,” Breton said.

Corinne Allen, of Harrison, came to the protest to support Canada. A new 25% tariff on all goods imported from Canada and Mexico, with the exception of a 10% tariff on Canadian energy products, took effect Tuesday.

“I’m so, so sad about the way (Canada is) being treated,” Allen said. “They’ve been our friend forever.”

Allen said she was also concerned by other actions by Trump, such as a heated exchange that took place last week between Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in which Trump and Vance berated Zelensky, demanding his gratitude for help the U.S. has given his country.

She carried a sign that read, “Send Musk to Mars,” on one side and, “Way to Go Gov. Mills. Thank you,” on the other side. Mills has enjoyed both support and criticism in Maine since she pushed back last month on Trump’s threat to withdraw federal funding from Maine over the state’s policy allowing transgender athletes to participate in girls’ sports.

A dog named Imp wears a “Dogs against DOGE!” sign during the protest Tuesday outside the Maine State House. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

Mills told WMTW on Monday that Trump’s statements to her were unlike anything she had ever heard from an American president. “I have never heard any president say this before — that he is the law,” she said. “He said, ‘I or we are the federal law.’ It’s like Louis the XIV.”

Tuesday’s protest was the latest demonstration against Trump in Maine. Last weekend, at the same time as protesters gathered against Mills and in support of keeping transgender athletes out of school sports at the State House, anti-Trump protests were also held around the state.

About three pro-Trump counterprotesters attended Tuesday’s rally, but there were no issues or violence, said Emilie Gruchow, one of the organizers. A lieutenant for Capitol Police confirmed there were no issues or arrests at the event.

“We had really good energy, and I’m really impressed by the number of people who came out today, who had to work and who took the day off or rearranged their schedules,” Gruchow said. “I think that shows how invested Mainers are in protecting the rights of each other.”