From big cities to small towns, millions of Americans poured into the streets on Saturday for what became the biggest day of protest since the start of President Trump’s second term.
Crowds from Los Angeles to New York — and everywhere in between, including Chicago and Austin — chanted, marched, and waved homemade signs at No Kings marches across the country. Some props read, “We want all of the government to work,” while others declared, “Make America Good Again.”
The No Kings movement sprang up earlier this year as a response to what Indivisible, the group behind the protests, calls Trump’s “king-like” governing style — a warning, they say, against the creeping rise of authoritarianism.
Here’s a closer look at what unfolded this weekend — and how the Trump administration is responding.
What were No Kings Day protests about?
Demonstrators voiced anger over a wide range of Trump administration policies, but a few key themes dominated: ICE’s immigration raids, the ongoing government shutdown, new tariffs, attacks on higher education, pressure on the Justice Department to pursue political opponents, the erosion of women’s rights, and the dismantling of D.E.I. programs.
For some, though, the protests were about more than any single policy — they were about a lack of empathy and basic decency. “We can argue and debate policies and ways that we can solve problems,” Chris Scharman, who attended a rally in Salt Lake City, told The New York Times. “But we shouldn’t be debating the value of people.”
Many Democratic lawmakers, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, joined protesters on the streets, while Republicans largely backed Trump and criticized the demonstrations.
While many protesters voiced frustration with Trump, a number of left-leaning demonstrators also made something else clear: They’re unhappy with Democratic leadership, too.
“I don’t have a lot of faith in the Democrats right now,” Alex, a construction worker who traveled to Washington from northern Virginia on Saturday, told NBC News. “They don’t have — they don’t seem to have a lot of spine or a single message. They’re just too disorganized to put up a good fight against this bullsh*t.”
How many people attended No Kings Day protests?
Organizers said nearly 7 million people turned out at more than 2,700 events across all 50 states. That marks a clear uptick from the inaugural No Kings Day in June, which drew roughly five million protesters at around 2,000 events nationwide. The surge suggests that opposition to the president isn’t just holding — it’s gaining momentum, with turnout in cities like New York and Chicago reaching up to 250,000 people.
And the movement didn’t just fill big-city streets. In Bozeman, Montana, more than 4,000 protesters packed the downtown area, waving signs and American flags — a sign of how far the movement has spread beyond urban strongholds.
Were this weekend’s protests peaceful?
By most accounts, Saturday’s demonstrations had a festive and positive atmosphere, with little — if any — lawlessness reported. In New York City, for example, more than 100,000 people marched through the five boroughs without a single arrest.
That sense of calm held even in states like Texas and Virginia, where Republican governors had mobilized their National Guards ahead of the demonstrations. In Austin, people wandered between tents and sat in the grass listening to a live band, giving the day a laid-back, festival-like feel. More than 10,000 people also marched from the Capitol through downtown — and local police reported no arrests.
While there were a few brief moments of tension elsewhere, they were quickly contained. In Los Angeles, for example, police in riot gear dispersed about 100 protesters who had blocked an intersection after the rally ended, according to The New York Times.
What was Trump’s reaction to No Kings Day?
In the days leading up to the demonstrations, House Speaker Mike Johnson echoed a familiar Republican talking point, dismissing the protests as “the hate America rally.”
On Saturday, after a round of golf, Donald Trump fired off several posts on Truth Social — including an AI-generated video showing him wearing a crown, flying a jet, and dropping what looked like feces on protesters. In several images and clips, Trump was explicitly referred to as “King Trump,” including one image shared by the official White House account on X.
In an interview that aired Sunday with Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo, Trump insisted he was “not a king” but also floated invoking the Insurrection Act, a centuries-old law that allows presidents to deploy U.S. troops domestically.
“Don’t forget I can use the Insurrection Act… And that’s unquestioned power,” the president warned. Apparently referring to sending troops to U.S. cities as part of his crime crackdown, he said: “I choose not to. I’d rather do this.”
