President Joe Biden is the most pro-abortion president in our country’s history. He has stated his commitment to enshrining the unlimited abortion license of Roe v. Wade into federal law and has done the bidding of Planned Parenthood and the abortion lobby at every turn, even abandoning his previous support for the Hyde Amendment that restricts taxpayer funding of abortion.
Joe Biden claims to personally hold to the teachings of the Catholic Church on the matter, but his actions as a Senator, Vice President, and now President show that claim to be hollow.
That’s why pro-lifers need to highlight his extreme abortion stance every chance we get. Here at the Pro-Life Action League, we have protested President Biden every time he’s visited Illinois, and helped activists in other states do the same. This guide will equip you to protest President Biden, should he ever visit your area:
- Regularly monitor Joe Biden’s schedule
- Create a “Minuteman” sense of urgency about the protest
- Special logistics for a presidential protest
- What kind of signs to use for protesting the president
- Distinguish yourself from political protesters
- Share your success
Regularly monitor the Joe Biden’s schedule
The first step in preparing to protest President Biden is to monitor his schedule. Biden’s travels across the country are typically announced with very little advance notice and few details. So you’ll need to keep a close eye on the news to find out if he’s visiting your area.
Set up a google alert with the name of your town, state, or area and keywords like “Biden,” “President,” and “visit” so you’ll be alerted as soon as a trip pops up in the news. You can also see his daily schedule here, though be aware that the schedule is only posted on a daily basis, so it won’t provide advance informtation.
Once you learn about an upcoming visit from Biden, do everything you can to find out what the time and location will be. Again, the White House will often keep these details quiet as much as possible, but a lot of preparation goes into a presidential visit, so there will be people who will know. Sometimes it’s leaked in the press, but many times you’ll need to do your own research.
Local Facebook groups and other social media outlets can be great places to find people talking about where the president will be going. On one occasion we obtained the Air Force One flight window from an amateur pilot’s group on Facebook! But be careful to confirm any details you glean on social media as that information is not always reliable.
Create a “Minuteman” sense of urgency about the protest
Once you’re alerted to an upcoming visit from Biden, it’s time to put the wheels in motion for your protest — and quickly, as you likely won’t have much time for promotion.
Typically, we advise pro-life leaders to wait until they have all the necessary information about a protest before letting people know about it, but this case is an exception. If you know Biden is coming on a particular day but don’t yet know where or what time, go ahead and send out a “heads up” email to all your pro-life contacts, and post what you know on Facebook.
This will put people on alert, and help to build a sense of urgency. This kind of “last minute” protest is exciting, and people will want to take part. Encourage your volunteers to think of themselves like the “Minutemen” from the Revolutionary War, ready to form companies for battle at a moment’s notice.
Of course, once you nail down details, follow up via email and social media with all the details, including parking arrangements (see below).
Special logistics for a presidential protest
Once you’ve found the location of the visit, there are many logistical concerns to consider when you’re attempting to protest the president. Obviously the president is under constant protection from secret service and other police agencies. Wherever he goes to speak, there will be a zone that the general public will not be allowed to enter. This means you’ll have to both prepare in advance and be ready to act on your feet.
First, go to the location itself or look at it on Google Maps and try to figure out where the lines between private and public property are. Usually utility lines are a great way to find public property, and most places will have a public easement along the edge of public roads where you should be able to hold your protest. Also see the League’s page Learn to distinguish public property from private property for more detail on this.
Bear in mind that under the circumstances of a presidential visit, there may be areas of public property that police will declare off limits for protesters. Follow whatever rules they lay out for you. Police are often very quick to jump to arresting people who resist their orders when the president is involved.
If you can, try to figure out where the president’s motorcade will be passing. Protest is worth it whether or not the president sees you, but it’s the best outcome if he does have to drive by it. One good indicator of this is where the police presence is strongest.
Given that the police will likely have blocked off streets, it’s often wise to choose a meeting point within walking distance but not directly at the protest site. Arrange for your group to meet together there and walk to the protest site.
What kind of signs to use for protesting the president
Signs are your best vehicle for conveying your message to the president and the public. Whether you have signs printed or make them with your own materials, the most important thing is that your message is brief and clear.
A good sign needs to have good contrast, meaning that the color of the words and the background suit each other. Yellow letters on a white background are nearly illegible, for example. To keep things simple, black text on a white background is never hard to read.
Also, make sure your words are thick, large and readable, and keep your message brief. If the president or other passersby see your protest, the text on your message needs to be brief and large enough to be read from a passing car.
In our protests of President Biden, the Pro-Life Action League has used our abortion victim photo signs accompanied with handheld signs reading “Joe Biden, what about THIS little guy?” referring to the Democrat party’s longstanding claim to stand up for “the little guy.”
Other appropriate messages could include “Biden = Abortion” or the League’s iconic “Stop Abortion Now signs. Of course feel free to craft messages of your own, following the guidelines above.
Distinguish yourself from political protesters
At a protest of any president, there will be partisan demonstrators who have come to protest for a host of different reasons. You need to keep your focus on highlighting President Biden’s abortion agenda, and not get lumped in with other protesters and messages, even if you agree with them.
You can accomplish this by arriving very early to stake out a prime protest location, or by putting some physical distance between yourself and the other protesters.
In our experience, protests of President Biden also frequently feature vulgar chants and signs, which you should distance yourself from. Vulgarity and foul language have no place in the pro-life movement.
Share your success
During and after your protest, share pictures or videos on social media. You could even consider doing a live video from the protest showing the crowd or the presidential motorcade as it passes. For more on this topic, see our page on how to Document and share news of your pro-life event.
You can also email some photos of your protest to the League and we’ll highlight your protest on our social media channels to expand your impact even more!
Also, keep in mind that part of the success of a protest like this is the sense of esprit de corps that comes from participating in an urgent, last-minute protest like this. It’s an exciting event, and you’ll build up good will with your volunteers with this kind of bold public witness.
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