Millions of demonstrators took to the streets in cities across the United States on Saturday to take part in the “No Kings” protest movement against President Donald Trump’s policies both at home and abroad.
More than 3,200 marches have been planned across all 50 states, with organizers predicting what they described as the “single largest non-violent day of action” in American history.
The flagship rally is being held in St. Paul, Minnesota, which has been in the news for a controversial federal immigration crackdown that killed two American citizens – Alex Pretti and Renee Good – recently.
Protesters who took part in the rallies on Saturday voiced anger and outrage over multiple fronts of the Trump administration’s agenda, including the ongoing war against Iran, rising gas prices, the staggering cost of living, and the president’s mass deportation initiative.
“Since the last No Kings [protests], we’re seeing higher gas prices and groceries, all while there’s an illegal war in Iran,” Sarah Parker, a national coordinator for the group 50501, was quoted as saying by US media outlets.
Protests filled major cities across the country. In Washington DC, demonstrators lined the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and packed the National Mall, carrying effigies of Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and other administration officials while calling for their ousting.
In New York City, thousands crowded Times Square, forcing police to shut down streets in Midtown Manhattan. In October, the New York Police Department reported that over 100,000 people had gathered across the city’s five boroughs during a previous No Kings rally.
Smaller towns also saw significant turnout. Demonstrators gathered in Shelbyville, Kentucky, and Howell, Michigan, a city of roughly 10,000 residents, with participants holding signs protesting the war against Iran and the anti-immigration crackdown.
American expatriates joined the movement abroad, with crowds forming in Paris, London, and Lisbon, where demonstrators held signs calling the president a “fascist” and “war criminal” and demanding his impeachment.
The protests are being organized by a coalition of left-leaning groups, including Indivisible, Public Citizen, MoveOn, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and the National Action Network. They note that more than half of the officially registered events are being held in Republican-leaning or battleground states, which reflects its cross-partisan appeal.
“This is not a partisan issue. It’s actually the most patriotic thing you can do,” Lisa Gilbert, co-president of Public Citizen, was quoted as saying. “To stand up and stand together and say that there aren’t kings in America is not controversial.”
The movement’s name, “No Kings,” draws directly from criticism that Trump has sought to expand presidential power beyond constitutional limits.
The Trump administration has previously warned that protesters would be met with “very heavy force,” though organizers said they expected Saturday’s events to remain peaceful despite the presence of federal agents deployed across the country.
“We are not going to be intimidated,” said Deirdre Schifeling, chief political and advocacy officer at the ACLU. “We are going to be safe. We are going to be peaceful. We are going to be free. So yes, know your rights, and also, we will not be scared off by this tactic.”
Organizers said they expected Saturday’s protests to far exceed previous iterations. The last No Kings day of action, held in October, drew an estimated 7 million people nationally.
Earlier this week, Academy Award-winning actor and longtime political activist Robert De Niro urged Americans to take to the streets in a nationwide “No Kings” protest against Trump and a “cowardly Congress.”
In a video statement, the veteran actor drew a direct parallel between the American Revolution and what he described as a contemporary threat to democratic institutions.
“When King George—a mad, mentally ill tyrant—and his abusive Parliament threatened our freedoms and the American spirit, we did not sit idly by or complain. No, we took to the streets, and our nation was born,” De Niro stated.
“Now, 250 years later, another mentally ill despot has emerged: a corrupt ‘wannabe king’ and his cowardly Congress, seeking to launch insane foreign wars and suppress our freedoms right here, in our own homeland.”
