NEW YORK — Calls to vote shared space with handmade signs, Statue of Liberty costumes and satirical depictions of Donald Trump at Washington Square Park on Saturday, October 17.
The gathering, listed as No Kings: VoteFest NYC, brought political protest and voter-participation messages into the same public space. In its event announcement, Unite NY said it was joining partners for a program combining civic engagement, music and opportunities to participate ahead of the November elections.
Voting messages in the park
At a table, No Kings buttons sat alongside Vote Early cards. Nearby, an attendee added a response to a board headed “Why We Vote.” Its handwritten messages referred to democracy, human rights and future generations.
Other participants carried their messages through the crowd. One wore a tall hat and broad panels covered with voting language. A turquoise Statue of Liberty costume was paired with a sign reading “Liberty & Justice Starts at the Ballot Box.”
Costumes, signs and political satire
References to monarchy ran through the gathering. Two attendees wore towering yellow wigs and ornate historical-style clothing while carrying No Kings and voting signs. A separate placard placed a crown on a Trump caricature.
Other signs used satire to criticize wealth and political priorities. A group posed with “Trillionaires for Trump” placards. Another sign contrasted healthcare for ordinary people with a ballroom, using an image of Trump in aristocratic dress.
Some participants turned the protest into street performance. An attendee in a Trump mask and an orange jumpsuit posed for photographs. In another scene, a participant wearing a Trump caricature mask posed on hands and knees while a participant using a powered wheelchair held an attached chain.
Those scenes are documented here as participants’ political expression. Across the photographs, calls for voter participation appear alongside criticism of the president, making the park a setting for both electoral messaging and public dissent.
Photographs from Washington Square Park
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