Americans in all 50 states began marching in protests against the Trump administration on Saturday, rallying behind the message that the country is sliding into tyranny and there should be no kings in the United States.
Millions of people participated in the “No Kings” protests, the second iteration of the coalition that marched in June in one of the largest days of protest in U.S. history. The events are scheduled to be held in more than 2,700 locations, from small towns to large cities, reflecting the decentralization of the anti-Donald Trump protest movement that focused on demonstrations in Washington, D.C., during his first presidency.
The marches represent a shift from what happened just six months ago, when Democrats seemed at a loss about how to confront Republican control of the White House and both chambers of Congress after their heavy losses in the national elections.
“What we see from Democrats is the backbone,” Ezra Levin, a co-founder of Indivisible, a major organizing group, told The Associated Press. “The worst thing Democrats can do now is give up.”
In Chicago, at Butler Field in Grant Park, at least 10,000 people gathered, many carrying signs opposing federal immigration agents or mocking Trump. Television stations that broadcast footage of the protests warned viewers that they could not be held responsible for the language used in the signs.
“Hands off Chicago,” some said, a rallying cry that began when the president first announced his intention to send the National Guard to the city. Others read “Resist Fascism,” but many others used language inappropriate for broadcast.
The crowd erupted chanting “Fuck Donald Trump” as Illinois Representative Jonathan Jackson took the stage.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson told the crowd that the Trump administration “decided it wanted to rematch the Civil War,” which the white supremacist Confederacy lost to the Union in the 19th century.
“We are here to stand firm and commit that we will not bow, we will not bend, we will not bend, we will not submit,” Johnson said. “We don’t want troops in our city.”
More than 200,000 residents of the Washington, D.C., area gathered near the US Capitol building. In several cities, demonstrators wore inflatable animal costumes — a Dada-style theme created during protests over immigration enforcement in Portland, Oregon, to counter the administration’s narrative of a city in the grip of lawlessness and anarchy.
In Santa Fe, New Mexico, costumed characters included unicorns, chickens and frogs. “It’s just about the absurdity of the whole thing,” Amy Adler, a resident of the area, told The New York Times. Santa Fe New Mexico While wearing a lobster suit, she described it as an ode to Portland.
On FoxLive, national security analyst Lt. Col. Hal Kempfer discussed whether the costumes were for defensive purposes, saying, “I wouldn’t rule out that they’re just a costume show, but any costume like that could provide a certain amount of defensive protection from pepper balls and things. But you have to keep in mind that you can’t move very fast and you can’t see either.”
In Georgia, at least 10,000 people filled the Atlanta Civic Center plaza in preparation for a march to the state capital by mid-morning.
US Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia said: “I heard an American president stand up a few days ago and tell the generals in our army that we must stand against the enemy at home.”
“I don’t care what your politics are,” Warnock said. “If you’re an American citizen, you should be deeply concerned.” He warned of the presence of federal law enforcement “that is showing up in communities across our country.
“What the hell is going on? We should all be worried.”
Trump has cracked down on US cities, tried to send in federal troops and add more immigration agents. It seeks to criminalize dissent by prosecuting left-leaning organizations that it claims support terrorism or political violence.
Cities have largely resisted, filing lawsuits to prevent National Guard infiltration, and residents taking to the streets to speak out against the militarization of their communities.
After promoting the newsletter
Trump’s allies have sought to portray the “No Kings” protests as anti-American and led by Antifa, the decentralized anti-fascist movement, while also claiming that the protests are prolonging the government shutdown. Greg Abbott, the governor of Texas, said he would send the state’s National Guard to Austin, the state capital, ahead of the protests.
The protests were attended by some politicians, including Democratic Senators Chuck Schumer and Chris Murphy, and Independent Senator Bernie Sanders. The No Kings coalition has repeatedly emphasized its commitment to nonviolent resistance, and has trained tens of thousands of participants in safety and de-escalation techniques.
“The most important message for people to carry is that the president wants us to be afraid, but we will not be afraid and silenced,” said Lisa Gilbert, co-president of Public Citizen, one of the protest organizers. “It is very important that people remain peaceful, stand up proud and say what matters to them, and not be afraid of that fear.”
More than 200 organizations have It was signed As partners of the October 18 protests. Organizers have identified several major cities: Washington, D.C., San Francisco, San Diego, Atlanta, New York City, Houston, Honolulu, Boston, Kansas City in Missouri, Bozeman in Montana, Chicago and New Orleans.
The simple framing of the protests is that the United States has no kings, which is a nod to Trump’s increasing authoritarianism. “They say they refer to me as king. I’m not king,” Trump told Fox News on Friday. Top Republicans, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, described the protests as a “hate march for America.”
In Washington, D.C., Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont responded to Johnson’s characterization, saying: “Boy, does he get it wrong. Millions of Americans are coming out today not because they hate America, but because we love America. We are here because we will do everything in our power to honor the sacrifices of millions of men and women who have fought over the past 250 years and sometimes died.” To defend our democracy and freedoms.
Among the topics noted by the organizers: Trump’s use of taxpayer money to seize power, and sending federal forces to control American cities; The president said he wanted a third term and was “acting like a king already”; The Trump administration has gone too far with its agenda, challenging the courts and cutting back on services while deporting people without due process.
It called on leftist groups to announce a clear political program and concrete demands. In a statement dated October 15, No kings, no Nazi Fuhrer! Mobilizing the working class against Trump’s dictatorship!The Socialist Equality Party said the central slogan “No Kings” expresses widespread popular hostility to tyranny, but warned that “rage and fury are not enough to stop dictatorship.”
Progressive group Public Citizen He said The protests aim to confront “the most lawless administration in American history,” adding that “millions of Americans will come together in peaceful pro-democracy protests to show that we will never bow to a king.”
The “No Kings” protests in June drew millions to the streets, with the Harvard Consortium for Crowd Count estimating that between 2 million and 4.8 million people attended the protests across more than 2,000 locations in what was “probably the second largest single-day demonstration since Trump first took office in January 2017,” second only to the Women’s March in 2017.