MERIDIAN, Idaho — A protest against the current presidential administration and the Department of Government Efficiency was met with a counter protest at the Tesla dealership in Meridian.
When Idaho News 6 was there, we counted about 15 protesters and about 30 counter protesters.
“I came out here to support my fellow vets who have lost their jobs, and [the] cuts to VA funding and coverage are affecting veterans like me,” said Jacob Whittaker, a veteran of the US Army and Idaho National Guard.
Whittaker says he and other protesters fear corruption of the government especially when it comes to the Department of Government Efficiency, considering the DOGE leader and Tesla CEO Elon Musk is an unelected official.
Counter protesters disagree and say DOGE good for America.
“They [current administration] are for the country, compared to giving out all of our money to other countries when we could use it in the homeland. There’s veterans sleeping out on the street and, [they] hand over all the money to Ukraine and all the foreign countries and our warriors are out on the street and they could use some money for better uses in my beliefs,” said Ethan Smith.
A Caldwell resident, Smith also tells me he and other Trump supporters came out to practice their freedom of assembly, just as the protesters on the other side were.
Whittaker says he is grateful other protesters showed up, but he was uncomfortable that counter protesters came armed.
“I think what I’d like them to know is that their attempts to silence people they disagree with by bringing guns to a peaceful protest is ridiculous. They need to respect everyone’s right to peacefully assemble and protest the things that they care about," said Whittaker.
Meridian police officers were there Saturday, to monitor the protesters and counter-protesters.
We’ve checked in with them to see if they’ve made any arrests regarding the vandalism following protests last month. Idaho News 6 will keep you updated.
