At fiery KC rally for federal workers, Cleaver slams ‘dictator wannabe’ in White House
Rep. Emanuel Cleaver’s voice bellowed out over hundreds of demonstrators gathered at a fiery rally in support of federal workers in Kansas City on Saturday as he delivered a thunderous denunciation of President Donald Trump and his administration.
“Right now is a dangerous moment for the United States of America because we have a dictator wannabe in the White House and we want him to be gone,” the Democratic congressman and former Kansas City mayor said.
The rally, organized by unions representing area federal employees, jammed the sidewalk across from the Internal Revenue Service campus at midday. Cars honked in support as demonstrators, many wearing red in union solidarity, held signs denouncing Trump and the billionaire Elon Musk.
The gathering underscored the perilous, uncertain time federal workers across the Kansas City metro – and the country – find themselves in, as Trump moves to gut federal agencies. The IRS fired roughly 100 probationary workers in Kansas City last month, but plans are in the works to cut the agency’s staffing in half. At the Social Security Administration, which has a large presence downtown, workers are also braced for deep cuts.
Over nearly two hours Cleaver, Rep. Sharice Davids of Kansas, local elected officials and union leaders vowed to fight Trump and Musk, urged demonstrators to organize and, eventually, vote the administration’s supporters out of office.
“You’re the ones who need to be the ones firing people,” Cleaver said, his voice rising to a shout. “A man has no right – no right – to treat you again like this.”
Davids, a Democrat who represents southern Wyandotte County, Johnson County and rural areas southwest of the Kansas City metro, summed up the mood: “People are pissed.”
The fourth-term congresswoman attacked Musk, who is spearheading the Department of Government Efficiency initiative and has previously hoisted a chainsaw to illustrate his passion for cutting government. Last month Musk, speaking to the podcaster Joe Rogan, described empathy as the “fundamental weakness” of Western civilization.
“I know Elon Musk is out here saying all kinds of wild stuff, including that empathy is a weakness,” Davids said. “Some of these guys need to just go get some therapy.”
Democratic-leaning Kansas City has seen numerous anti-Trump protests over the past decade. But Saturday’s rally was notable because it highlighted the political power of federal workers – a large bloc of voters across the metro.
The federal government employs some 30,000 people across the Kansas City area. Speakers on Saturday repeatedly encouraged demonstrators, many of whom appeared to be federal workers, to take action. Elected officials also sought to describe how they are supporting federal workers.
Jackson County Legislator Manny Abarca, a Democrat, promised the crowd that he will file a proposal to direct the county government to give hiring preference to federal workers and recently fired federal workers. The move comes after the Kansas City Council last week instructed the city manager to help terminated federal workers fill some of the hundreds of open positions in the city’s workforce.
“Every one of you today, you’ve got to set your expectation high for your elected officials,” Abarca said. “Every single one of them better be out marching, protesting, parading, leading, driving, following, sweeping up afterwards. And then they need to go inside of their chamber and get to work.”
When Kansas City Mayor Pro Tem Ryana Parks-Shaw spoke, the crowd chanted “thank you” when she discussed the hiring preference policy. Parks-Shaw co-sponsored the resolution with Councilman Eric Bunch.
“I’m proud to say Kansas City – the city of Kansas City – is stepping up,” Parks-Shaw said.
Kansas and Missouri Republicans have largely supported the Trump administration’s cost-cutting efforts, including Musk’s DOGE initiative.
Rep. Mark Alford, a Missouri Republican, defended Musk and DOGE during a hostile town hall in February in Belton. He said Trump can hire who he wants and painted an expansive view of Trump’s power over the federal government.
Musk is doing an “effective job,” Alford said. “I know there are a lot of people who don’t want to see waste, abuse and fraud weeded out … but he is appointed by the president, who is the chief executive,” he said.
Alford drew significant condemnation at the town hall for telling fired federal workers that “God has a plan and purpose for your life.”
On Saturday, Kansas City Councilwoman Melissa Patterson Hazley responded to Alford without naming him.
“I heard one of these congressmen tell us to think about God and what God is going to do in God’s plan,” Patterson Hazley said. “But the God I serve doesn’t pick favorites. The God I serve doesn’t pick winners and losers. The God I serve wants all of us to be able to take care of ourselves and each other.”
Doreen Greenwald, national president of the National Treasury Employees Union, urged the crowd not to believe the “BS” that federal workers are lazy or not working.
“We’re all for efficiency. Ask the people doing the work, we’ll help you find it,” Greenwald said. “It sure isn’t gonna be with a chainsaw.”
This story was originally published March 15, 2025 at 3:57 PM.
