Brad Brooks
(Reuters) – Protesters of all ages, many with children and pets in tow, took to the streets en masse on Saturday for “No King” rallies across the United States to denounce what they see as U.S. President Donald Trump’s authoritarian tendencies and unbridled corruption.
Organizers expect millions of people to have attended more than 2,600 rallies planned in major cities, small towns and suburbs by the end of the day, challenging a Trump-dominated agenda that has reshaped government and upended democratic norms at an unprecedented pace since he took office in January.
By all accounts, the demonstrations were largely festive, with many featuring inflatable characters and marchers dressed in red, white and blue. The crowd was demographically mixed, including many young people with strollers and parents of older participants.
There were almost no reports of violations.
“There’s nothing more American than saying ‘We don’t have a king’ and exercising the right to peaceful protest,” said Leah Greenberg, co-founder of Indivisible, a progressive group that planned Saturday’s event.
More than 100,000 people protested peacefully across all five boroughs, and the NYPD made “zero protest-related arrests,” the NYPD said. Events in Boston, Chicago and Atlanta also drew crowds.
The protests reflect growing unease among many Americans, mostly on the ideological left, and include criminal prosecutions of Trump’s perceived political opponents, a militarized immigration crackdown and the dispatch of National Guard troops to U.S. cities – a move Trump says is aimed at fighting crime and protecting immigration agents.
Trump has installed inexperienced loyalists within his administration and sought to exert pressure on the news media, law firms and higher education institutions as he attempts to quickly implement his policies.
The rally was lively but orderly, with police largely keeping a low profile.
In Washington, demonstrators filled the streets, chanted slogans and carried signs, American flags and balloons as they marched toward the U.S. Capitol. Many people and their dogs were dressed in costumes, creating a relaxed, carnival-like atmosphere.
Protester Alliston Elliott, wearing a Statue of Liberty headdress and holding a sign that read “No Dictators,” said: “We want to show our support for democracy and the fight for justice. I am against the overreach of power.”
In downtown Houston on Saturday afternoon, Daniel Aboyte Gamez, a 30-year-old U.S. Marine Corps veteran, joined a crowd at City Hall that officials said numbered about 5,000 people.
“I don’t understand what’s going on in this country right now,” said Gamez, who has served in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria.
Kevin Brice, a 70-year-old Army veteran who was one of thousands of protesters who descended on Portland, Oregon’s riverfront, wore a black sweatshirt emblazoned with the slogan “No King Since 1776.”
“Everything I stood for while serving in the military seems to be in jeopardy,” Bryce said. “So, even though I’ve been a lifelong Republican, I don’t support the direction the party is going.”
Similar sentiments were expressed by Steve Klopp, a 74-year-old Houston oil industry retiree who wore a shirt that read “Former Republican.”
“I will always be a Republican,” Klopp said. “My family has always been Republican. And the idea that one person could turn me away from the Republican Party is crazy.”
Kelly Kinsella, 38, stood among thousands of people gathered outside the Colorado State Capitol in Denver, dressed as the Statue of Liberty, tears streaming down her face and holding a sign that read “No King.”
“Everyone is going to work stressed because of the current situation,” Kinsella said. She said she was motivated to go to work largely because of a resurgence of inflation, which she blamed on Trump’s tariffs.
Trump says he’s not a king
Trump said nothing about Saturday’s protests. But in an interview with Fox Business Network that aired Friday, he said “They call me a king — I’m not a king.”
Greenberg said more than 300 grassroots groups helped organize Saturday’s march. The ACLU said it has provided legal guidance and “de-escalation” training to tens of thousands of people who serve as law enforcement officers at various marches.
While Democrats are divided over the best way to oppose Trump, party figures like Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and progressive firebrands like U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have expressed support for the “No King” movement.
Saturday’s protest aimed to build on the grassroots momentum gained by organizers of some 2,000 “No King” protests on June 14, which coincided with Trump’s 79th birthday and a rare military parade in Washington.
Republicans claim protests are anti-American
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, echoed a common refrain from his party on Friday, calling the “No King” protests a “hate-on-America rally.”
Other Republicans accused rally organizers of stoking a climate that could spark more political violence, especially after the assassination in September of right-wing activist and Trump ally Charlie Kirk.
Dana Fisher, a professor at American University in Washington and the author of several books on American activism, predicted that Saturday could see the largest protests in modern American history.
Based on registration and participation at the June event, she expects more than 3 million people to attend.
The total turnout for the June 14 “No King” rally was estimated at 4 million to 6 million, according to a crowdsourced analysis published by renowned data journalist G. Elliott Morris on his Digital Power blog site.
Fisher said the protests “will not change Trump’s policies. But it may embolden elected officials at all levels who oppose Trump.”
(Reporting by Brad Brooks, AJ Vicens and David Shepherdson; Editing by Margarita Tsai, Cynthia Osterman, Nick Ziminski and Diane Kraft)
