US marine veteran takes a stand against Trump: 'He's tearing the country apart' [View all]

Morgan Akin, 84, has taken down his American flag – and taken to the streets in his conservative California community

“The American flag won’t fly again until things get straightened out down the line and administrations change,” said Akin, his Texas twang still strong even after decades in California as he lamented the state of the country and the growing dangers immigrants faced. “They’re not going to pick me off and take me to El Salvador.”

Until this year, Akin had never participated in a protest. This year he and his wife have gone to three, taking to the streets alongside hundreds of others in their conservative community to demonstrate against the administration and cuts to the department of veteran’s affairs and vital social programs.

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Akin has always backed Democrats, something he attributes to growing up in segregated Texas and seeing southern states turn Republican during the civil rights era. He loved his home state but found it deeply prejudiced and never could shake his association with the Republican party and racism.

He joined the Marine Corps at 17, where he said he learned that you had to get along to survive, regardless of one’s background or religion. “You all bled the same way,” he said. “From that point my whole attitude changed about a lot of things. So I have been a Democrat [since] the first time I registered.”

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https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/02/us-marine-veteran-trump-california