When Joseph Zobel took part in his first protest earlier this month, the school counselor and coach from New Jersey had no idea that his participation would go viral.
In a 47-second video that has been viewed over 3 million times, Zobel, holding an American flag, got emotional while discussing the consequences of President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown on his community.
@celeste06_ This is not NJ this is not the United States. 2/13/2026 @CooperRiverIndivisble #lindenwold #jersey #usa
♬ original sound – June Osborne
The 36-year-old joined “Deadline: White House” on Tuesday to discuss what motivated him to attend the Feb. 13 protest.
Zobel said that hours before the rally in Lindenwold, New Jersey, he saw a video online of a group of terrified children running from federal agents at a bus stop in the state.
“Something came inside me and said like, ‘Go up there and do something,’” he explained. “‘Let me get out there and just stand with these people, because that was just one of the worst things I think I’ve ever seen.’”
Zobel said he didn’t expect the video to go viral, telling Wallace that “millions of people” have seen him cry.
The New Jersey native said that while he had never attended a protest before, he has “always been in the caring field.” Zobel was a firefighter before becoming a school counselor.
“I’m always a big fan of helping people,” he said.
He told Wallace that he no longer recognized his own country.
“I love this country. I’m very patriotic,” he said, but added that he couldn’t imagine that in the United States, “kids would be waiting at a school bus stop to go to school, to get their education, and are running in fear from our government while waiting for a school bus.”
“That is not America,” he said. “That’s not what I remember.”
Zobel told Wallace that as a counselor, he is concerned about the long-term effects that Trump’s crackdown could have on the next generation.
“The trauma has got to be so extreme,” he said. “And I want to do anything in my power to help them, and I’ll do what I need to do to help this next generation.”
You can watch Wallace’s full interview with Zobel in the clip at the top of the page.
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