In protest against President Donald Trump’s immigration, education, and security policies, which organizers claim are driving the nation toward authoritarianism, more than 2,600 “No Kings” protest events are planned for Saturday across all 50 U.S. states.
The rallies, which range in size and take place in cities, suburbs, and small towns across the United States, will measure the degree of annoyance felt by those who oppose a conservative agenda that has spread swiftly. They come after similar demonstrations in June.
Trump’s administration has increased immigration enforcement since he took office ten months ago, reduced government employment, and slashed funding to prestigious colleges due to concerns like transgender regulations, campus diversity, and pro-Palestinian demonstrations against Israel’s war in Gaza.
The president has brought in National Guard troops to help fight crime and safeguard immigration agents.
According to Leah Greenberg, co-founder of Indivisible, a progressive group that spearheads the No Kings marches, “there is nothing more American than saying ‘we don’t have kings’ and exercising our right to protest peacefully.”
Regarding the protests on Saturday, Trump has said very little.
However, he stated, “They’re referring to me as a king—I’m not a king,” in an interview with Fox Business that aired on Friday.
According to Greenberg, around 300 grassroots organizations assisted in planning the marches on Saturday.
According to the American Civil Liberties Union, tens of thousands of individuals who will serve as marshals at the numerous marches have received legal training in addition to de-escalation training.
Social media has been inundated with No Kings advertisements and information to increase attendance.
Together with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who lost the 2016 presidential election to Trump, radical Democrats Senator Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have supported the marches.
The campaign has also received support from a wide range of celebrities.
In June, Trump celebrated his 79th birthday and conducted a military parade in Washington, the same day that more than 2,000 No Kings protests occurred, largely peacefully.
Republicans accuse protesters of being anti-American
U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, repeated a GOP chant regarding the No Kings demonstrations on Friday.
At a press conference on Friday, Johnson stated, “Democratic leaders will join us tomorrow for a big party out on the National Mall.”
“They will arrive at our Capitol for their eagerly awaited “No Kings” gathering.
We call it the “Hate America” rally, which is a fairer description.
In the wake of the September assassination of political activist Charlie Kirk, a close associate of Trump and an important member of his administration, other Republicans have attacked Democrats and marches like No Kings for encouraging individuals to commit acts of political violence.
Based on registrations and participation in the June events, Dana Fisher, a professor at American University in Washington, D.C., and the author of multiple books on American activism, predicted that Saturday might see the largest protest turnout in modern U.S. history, with over 3 million people expected to attend.
“This day of action’s primary goal is to foster a sense of shared identity among all those who feel persecuted or uneasy as a result of the Trump administration and its policies,” Fisher stated.
Trump’s policies won’t be altered by it. However, it could give elected politicians at all levels more confidence to oppose him.
