Across the United States on Saturday, large crowds gathered for “No Kings” protests, expressing their opposition to what they see as the rising authoritarianism under President Donald Trump.
Thousands of protesters filled Times Square in New York City, while rallies took place in parks in Boston, Atlanta, and Chicago. Marches also took place in Washington, Los Angeles, and other cities, including picket lines outside state capitals in Republican-controlled states and in smaller towns such as Billings, Montana, reports AP.
Despite the widespread protests, which included signs such as “Nothing is more patriotic than protesting” and “Resist Fascism,” Trump’s Republican supporters criticized the rallies as “Hate America” events.
However, many of the protests took on a festive atmosphere, with marching bands, large banners featuring the preamble of the US Constitution, and demonstrators wearing inflatable costumes, especially frogs, which have become a symbol of resistance, particularly in Portland, Oregon.
This demonstration marked the third large-scale mobilisation since Trump returned to the White House, occurring amid a government shutdown that has closed federal services and raised concerns about an executive branch’s confrontation with Congress and the judiciary, which many protest organizers warn is pushing the nation toward authoritarianism.
In Washington, Marine veteran Shawn Howard, who fought in the Iraq War, said that this was his first protest, driven by what he sees as Trump’s “disregard for the law.” Howard, who also worked at the CIA for 20 years on counter-extremism operations, described immigration detentions without due process and the use of military forces in US cities as “un-American.” He warned of the rise of extremism, saying, “I fought for freedom and against this kind of extremism abroad… And now I see a moment in America where we have extremists everywhere who are, in my opinion, pushing us to some kind of civil conflict.”
President Trump, on the other hand, spent the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, dismissing the notion that he was being called a king. “They say they’re referring to me as a king. I’m not a king,” Trump said in a Fox News interview aired on Friday, before heading to a fundraiser in his club. The Trump campaign later mocked the protests by posting a video showing the president dressed as a monarch, complete with a crown, waving from a balcony.
In San Francisco, hundreds of protesters gathered on Ocean Beach, spelling out messages like “No King!” with their bodies. Hayley Wingard, dressed as the Statue of Liberty, shared that she had never protested before but was moved to do so after seeing Trump’s actions, including the deployment of troops in US cities. “I was actually OK with everything until I found that the military invasion in Los Angeles and Chicago and Portland — Portland bothered me the most,” she said.
Portland saw tens of thousands of peaceful protesters gather downtown. However, tensions flared when hundreds of protesters and counterprotesters gathered at a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement building, where federal agents used tear gas to disperse the crowd.
Meanwhile, about 3,500 people gathered outside the Utah State Capitol in Salt Lake City, continuing their “No Kings” protest from June, when a protester was fatally shot during an earlier demonstration. In Birmingham, Alabama, over 1,500 people turned out for a protest, reflecting the city’s significant role in the Civil Rights Movement.
Jessica Yother, a mother of four in Birmingham, said, “It just feels like we’re living in an America that I don’t recognize.” Yother expressed hope after attending the protest, saying, “It was so encouraging… I walked in and thought, ‘Here are my people.’”
Democratic Senator Chris Murphy, speaking about the rallies, noted, “Big rallies like this give confidence to people who have been sitting on the sidelines but are ready to speak up.” Organizers are hoping these protests can unite opposition to Trump, with prominent Democrats like Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Bernie Sanders joining the effort.
Organizers stated that over 2,600 rallies were planned for the day. In his speech in Washington, Sanders echoed the rallying cry of the protests, asserting that “We the people will rule” and claiming that the American experiment is “in danger” under Trump.
Republican leaders, however, attacked the protests, labeling them as radical and claiming they were exacerbating the ongoing government shutdown. House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana dismissed the protests, calling them “Hate America rallies” and claiming that “antifa types,” Marxists, and “people who hate capitalism” would be in attendance.
In response, many protesters embraced humor, pointing out the over-the-top rhetoric of the Trump administration, such as the president’s claims of turning cities into “war zones” when deploying troops. “So much of what we’ve seen from this administration has been so unserious and silly that we have to respond with the same energy,” said Glen Kalbaugh, a Washington protester who wore a wizard hat and held a frog-themed sign.
Despite the protests, New York police reported no arrests during the demonstrations.
The ongoing government shutdown has created a significant rift in Washington, with Democrats refusing to vote on legislation to reopen the government unless healthcare funding is secured. This has led to increasing tension, as Republicans accuse Democrats of catering to the far-left in an effort to appease liberal demands.
“This is what we’re seeing from the Democrats, they’ve got some spine,” said Ezra Levin, a co-founder of the organizing group Indivisible, adding that Democrats can’t afford to back down.
