Why millions joined 'No Kings' protests across US against Trump policies

About seven million people marched across 2,700 US cities in the latest 'No Kings' protests, denouncing Donald Trump's 'authoritarian' policies amid a government shutdown

Nearly seven million protesters reportedly took to the streets across more than 2,700 US cities and towns on Saturday (local time), organisers said, in the second wave of nationwide “No Kings” protests against what they described as President Donald Trump’s “authoritarian” agenda.

 

According to CNN, the turnout was about two million higher than the previous round in June on Trump's 79th birthday. Police across major cities said the rallies were largely peaceful, with no significant incidents or arrests reported.

 

What the 'No Kings' protesters say

 

The demonstrations, branded 'No Kings Day', were reportedly aimed at defending democratic values and resisting what organisers called 'executive overreach'.

 

 

“We are uniting to demand that our representatives take a stand against Trump’s executive overreach to limit his power and to help us eventually remove the regime and restore democracy before it is too late,” said Hunter Dunn, spokesman for the No Kings coalition, as quoted by The New York Times.

 

The movement draws its name from the early American revolt against King George III, with organisers invoking the nation’s founding principles of equality and liberty.

 

How major US cities witnessed protests

 

Major rallies were staged in New York City, Washington DC, Chicago, Los Angeles and Atlanta, as well as hundreds of smaller towns. In New York, protesters filled Times Square, carrying signs that read: “We protest because we love America, and we want it back.”

 

In Chicago, a focal point of the administration’s immigration crackdown, thousands waved “Hands Off Chicago” posters and upside-down American flags. Demonstrators cited immigration raids, cuts to Medicaid and federal troop deployments among their grievances.

 

Los Angeles saw protesters in inflatable costumes and American flags turning the streets into a carnival of resistance. “It’s hard to call something a war zone when it’s just a block party and people in Halloween costumes,” one demonstrator told CNN. 

Let’s gooooooo New York City ‼️  Times Square…No Kings!#NoKingsDayOct18th #NoKings pic.twitter.com/VCYubeHhOs

— New York City Kopp (@NYCkopp) October 18, 2025

 

In Washington DC, furloughed federal employees joined the protests amid the ongoing government shutdown, now in its 18th day.

 

"No, President Trump, we don't want you or any other king to rule us," US Senator Bernie Sanders told a roaring crowd at the 'No Kings' rally in Washington. "In America we, the people, will rule."

 

'No, President Trump, we don't want you or any other king to rule us,' US Senator Bernie Sanders told a roaring crowd at the 'No Kings' rally in Washington, adding 'in America we, the people, will rule' https://t.co/UGId8OmeKG pic.twitter.com/k6NTnxjpnb

— Reuters (@Reuters) October 18, 2025

 

In Washington DC, rallygoers voiced concern that the US is veering toward autocracy, citing Trump’s dismissal of federal workers and an increase in immigration arrests by masked ICE agents.

 

“I am pro-American. I am pro-Constitution. I am pro-law and order. I am pro-immigration, legal immigration. I am pro-First Amendment rights. I am pro-free expression. All of that is under assault,” a protester told NBC News. “I'm 66 years old tomorrow. I never thought in my life that I would be here with a dictator in the Oval Office. So I am here to say no to that.”

  In Atlanta, demonstrators invoked the city’s civil rights legacy, calling the rallies a peaceful but urgent defence of democracy.  

Who is behind the movement?

 

More than 200 national organisations, including the Service Employees International Union, the American Civil Liberties Union and the American Federation of Teachers, are part of the No Kings coalition. Advocacy groups such as Indivisible, 50501 and MoveOn are also major supporters.

 

Organisers emphasised nonviolence, with participants receiving de-escalation training through online modules and community workshops.

 

How did Trump team react?

 

Republican leaders have denounced the protests as anti-American. “It’s all the pro-Hamas wing and the antifa people,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Fox News, claiming protesters were “paid to show up".

 

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said, “You know, ‘no kings’ means no paychecks. No paychecks and no government.”

 

US President Trump dismissed the rallies, saying, “They say they’re referring to me as a king. I’m not a king.” He later posted an AI video on his Truth Social platform, piloting a jet dressed as a king and dumping feces on 'No Kings' protesters.

 

Donald Trump posted an Al video of himself in a 'King Trump' jet dumping feces on 'No Kings' protesters. pic.twitter.com/eAsRD438I8

— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) October 19, 2025

 

At the same time, Trump allies JD Vance and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth attended a live-fire military demonstration in California, drawing criticism from state governor Gavin Newsom, who said the event’s safety risks showed the president was “putting his ego over responsibility".

 

Celebs support No Kings movement

 

Celebrities such as actor Robert De Niro have backed the movement. “We’ve had two and a half centuries of democracy... Now we have a would-be king who wants to take it away: King Donald the First,” De Niro said in a video message.

 

Saturday’s turnout marks the largest mobilisation yet in the No Kings movement, which organisers say will continue until “democracy is restored".