Small towns in Tennessee join ‘No Kings’ protests

The third series of “No Kings” events protesting the Trump administration were planned in over 3,000 cities, from major metropolises to small towns, including about 40 locations across Middle Tennessee.  

Thousands of people marched the streets of downtown Nashville, seemingly a similar showing to the last protest in October. Nearby in Ashland City, a town with about 5,600 residents, a much smaller crowd of dozens gathered on Saturday. 

“Congress has laid down and quit, so what do you do? You come out here and you protest,” said Carl “Vip” Vipperman, who lives in Kingston Springs. 

Caroline Eggers

People and pets gathered in Ashland City, Tennessee to protest the Trump administration on March 28, 2026.

He attended the rally with his wife, Vickie Vipperman. The couple expressed concern for President Donald Trump’s mental fitness, the military operations in Venezuela and Iran and the rollback of environmental protections, among other issues. 

“It’s all about money,” Vickie Vipperman said. 

The Trump administration’s financial and political support of the fossil fuel industry is one prime example, they explained, along with slashing federal incentives for the industry’s competition: renewable energy. 

“He’s doing it so he can shut down free energy so that the people that sell expensive energy can cash in,” Carl Vipperman said. 

Once people realize the potential of wind and solar, the fossil fuel industry has “nothing to sell you but grease.” 

The oil industry has taken another notable impact recently due to the war in Iran. The county mostly closed the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of global oil and gas would normally travel. 

Caroline Eggers WPLN News

People gathered in Ashland City, Tennessee to protest the Trump administration on March 28, 2026.

Caroline Eggers WPLN News

Dozens of people gathered in Ashland City, Tennessee on March 28, 3026 to protest actions taken by the Trump adnimistration.

Oil prices have gone up, on average, and analysts fear oil-supply disruptions will significantly worsen if the strait is not opened soon.  

“Grocery prices and gas prices are affecting me. It’s affecting everyone,” said Mike Kobrick, who lives in Pleasant View. He attended the rally on Saturday partially to help encourage folks to help influence change by voting in the upcoming midterm elections. 

Nancy Dorman, who has lived in Ashland City for the past three decades, is also concerned about military activity.

“It impacts the people who are least able to care for themselves all over the world,” Dorman said. 

And in the U.S., she’s worried about women, LGBTQ+ individuals, children, education and more. 

“Every day I wake up, and I look at the news, and I’m more concerned about the horrible, horrible things that the administration is doing,” Dorman said,” and the horrible ways in which this administration treats its citizens.”