A frog, a chicken and a dinosaur against Trump: Democrats’ satirical protest
A frog, a chicken, a dinosaur and a rhinoceros—unusual sights appeared during the “No Kings” marches held across the United States against President Donald Trump. Yet, Democrats say there is a message behind the absurdity.
In Washington State, a frog wearing a crown stood next to a rhino, a rooster and two hens, while two sharks ran across a bridge toward a crowd in Portland, Oregon. In Boston, a lobster carried a sign that read “No Kings.”
These whimsical characters appeared on Saturday amid the massive nationwide “No Kings” demonstrations organized against Trump, according to The Washington Post.
Inflatable costumes of every kind filled the streets—pandas, sausages, Santa Clauses and T-Rex dinosaurs—becoming a signature feature of protests against the Trump administration.
Part of the reason for these costumes is to mock Republicans who label the protests as “anti-American hate marches,” and to counter the Trump administration’s narrative that Democratic-led cities like Chicago and Portland are rife with crime.
“The absurdity is the point,” said Democratic strategist Mike Nellis. “All the ‘Make America Great Again’ supporters keep saying these cities are lawless and dangerous.”
Some elected Democrats joined in on the humor. Senator Cory Booker shared a clip from The Daily Show juxtaposing Trump’s claims of chaos in Portland with footage of protesters dancing in inflatable suits, captioning it, “Funny but true.”
Portland City Council member Samir Kanal declared during his speech on Saturday, “We’ve got chickens and frogs defending democracy.”
White House press secretary Abigail Jackson, however, dismissed the protests, saying in a statement: “It’s impressive how these demonstrators constantly find new ways to make themselves look even more foolish.”
Inflatable-costume protesters had already gained attention earlier this year in Portland, where activists used the city’s countercultural legacy to stage deliberately absurd demonstrations outside a federal immigration detention center.
A viral video showed federal agents pepper-spraying a protester dressed as a frog, sparking a trend in which demonstrators in other cities began wearing costumes too.
This inspired Brooks Brown, a Portland-based model, to organize a fundraising drive providing free inflatable costumes for people attending anti-ICE protests.
“You can’t just say, ‘Look, that’s Antifa, the terrorist group,’” Brown explained. “These costumes help keep the mood calm and defuse angry rhetoric.” He estimated that around 10,000 people donated in the first ten days of the campaign.
Politicians from both parties have acknowledged the creativity of this form of protest. Democratic politician Andy Barr commented, “Everything feels dark and grim these days—adding humor and fun helps draw more people in.”
Republican strategist Terry Sullivan called the use of inflatables “smart” and “energizing,” noting: “When you can present a visual symbol, it’s effective—it draws attention and keeps the protests from looking like angry mobs throwing rocks.”
Bruce Cain, a political science professor at Stanford University, added a final note of caution: “There’s always a risk of appearing frivolous or festive, but here, the use of costumes works to counter the image of Democrats as violent.”
