Trump, Musk supporters rally in Rio Rancho

By Kevin Hendricks

As a dozen protests took place in New Mexico Saturday as part of a nationwide “Hands Off” movement in opposition to the Donald Trump administration, a smaller crowd of just over 20 people took to the streets of Rio Rancho to show their support for the president and his Department of Government Efficiency initiative, which aims to cut wasteful federal spending.

Beth Dowling, chair of the Republican Party of Sandoval County, was one of the supporters on the corners of NM 528 and Southern Blvd. Saturday morning. Dowling held a sign, decorated with hearts, supporting DOGE as she emphasized the party’s support for government efforts against fraud and abuse. 

“We want our community to know that we support our government, that we support all of the efforts against fraud and abuse,” Dowling said. “It’s time for us to stand up and tell our fellow citizens that this is where it’s at, not the negative, anti-Tesla, anti-Trump, anti-DOGE. We are for this.”

While several drivers honked in support of the pro-Trump demonstrators, others yelled obscenities and flipped middle fingers.

“Yeah, Trump IS number one,” a demonstrator said in response to a bird-flipping driver. 

Dowling said the group’s demonstrations of support in Bernalillo and Rio Rancho have been mostly well-received. 

“The reaction today, and in general, has been super positive because people need to know that they’re not alone, and that’s the situation,” Dowling said. “All these cars honking at us today are telling us that they are in support of what we’re doing.”

The Republican Party of Sandoval County has organized in Bernalillo across from the Tesla showroom on the Santa Ana Pueblo for several Saturdays as a counter-protest to Democratic Party-led demonstrations against Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who is a senior advisor to Trump and the de facto leader of DOGE. 

“I think there’s so much misinformation out there that they believe that social security is gone, that Medicare is gone, it’s the opposite,” Dowling said. “We’re going to have more social security. We’re going to have more benefits for veterans. And it’s just this sorry situation where the media, as well as politicians, don’t want this fraud to go away, they’re benefiting from it.”

Democrats say the protests in Bernalillo have included over 100 people voicing their displeasure with DOGE cutting essential government services, firing thousands of federal employees and freezing trillions of dollars in grant funds. 

“We’re incensed. We’re angry about what’s happening in our country, and we know a lot of people feel the same way,” Alexandria Piland, chair of the Democratic Party of Sandoval County, said. “We want to bring attention to the fact that there is a man controlling our country who is gutting some of our most loved and needed institutions, and he wasn’t elected president. He bought the presidency from Trump for millions of dollars, and that’s not okay. Our presidency should not be for sale.”