Some Coloradans applaud Donald Trump "big, beautiful bill" signing, others stage protests

On the day President Donald Trump signed the "big, beautiful bill" in an Independence Day ceremony at the White House, some Coloradans staged protests in their towns. Others applauded its passage.

One of the protests took place in Arvada. People were lined up on both sides of Grandview Avenue for what they called a No Kings 2.0 rally. It was an attempt at a repeat of the large No Kings rallies from last month during the Washington DC military parade, and other similar rallies were held across the country.

One Colorado protester, Vicki Saxe, said she wanted to give a voice to everyone who could not be out there on Friday.

"I'm really frustrated, just like most of the people who are out here and a lot of the people who aren't out here," Saxe said. "A lot of illegal things are going on and a lot of things that just plain old we don't want in the government, and they're doing them anyway."

Similar protests in Colorado were also held in Fort Collins and Lamar.

Rep. Lauren Boebert, a Republican who represents Colorado's 4th Congressional District, voted in favor of the bill and said it delivers "tax cuts for Colorado families and small businesses, no taxes on tips and overtime, a record investment in border security, and funding for the Golden Dome defense system."

Rep. Gabe Evans, a Republican who represents Colorado's 8th Congressional District, also voted yes and called the bill a "bold, common sense blueprint for how to secure the border, lower costs for families, crack down on dangerous illegal immigrants, and give local law enforcement the tools needed to keep our communities safe."

Sen. John Hickenlooper, a Democrat and Colorado's junior U.S. senator, voted against the bill and explained his decision, saying "excessive tax cuts for the wealthy few are not worth mortgaging our future economy, sacrificing health care for 17 million Americans, and forfeiting our clean energy dominance."