{"id":353026,"date":"2026-03-29T01:47:18","date_gmt":"2026-03-29T01:47:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/353026\/"},"modified":"2026-03-29T01:47:18","modified_gmt":"2026-03-29T01:47:18","slug":"anti-trump-rallies-pop-up-in-thousands-of-us-cities-for-no-kings-protest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/353026\/","title":{"rendered":"Anti-Trump rallies pop up in thousands of US cities for ‘No Kings’ protest"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"People<\/p>\n

\nPeople hold flags and signs as a large crowd gathers outside the Minnesota State Capitol during the “No Kings” national day of protest in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on March 28, 2026.
\nPhoto: KEREM YUCEL \/ AFP\n<\/p>\n

By Tim Reid and Brad Brooks, Reuters<\/p>\n

Demonstrators decrying US President Donald Trump’s aggressive deportation efforts, war in Iran and other policies took to city streets across the country on Saturday in the third round of the “No Kings” rallies.<\/p>\n

More than 3200 events were planned in all 50 states. The two previous No Kings events attracted millions of participants.<\/p>\n

In Minnesota, a flashpoint in Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration, a massive rally was held outside the state capitol building in Saint Paul. Many in the crowd there held aloft posters bearing photos of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, whom federal immigration officers fatally shot in Minneapolis this year.<\/p>\n

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential nominee in 2024, told the crowd that their resistance to Trump and his policies makes them “the heart and soul” of everything good about the US.<\/p>\n

“They call us radicals,” Walz said. “You’re damn right we’ve been radicalized – radicalized by compassion, radicalized by decency, radicalized by due process, radicalized by democracy, and radicalized to do all we can to oppose authoritarianism.”<\/p>\n

\"ST<\/p>\n

\nMinnesota Governor Tim Walz speaks onstage as part of the No Kings Rallies on March 28, 2026 in St. Paul, Minnesota.
\nPhoto: ADAM BETTCHER \/ AFP\n<\/p>\n

\"Protesters<\/p>\n

\nProtesters descend on Times Square during the “No Kings” national day of protest in New York on March 28, 2026.
\nPhoto: CHARLY TRIBALLEAU \/ AFP\n<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

\nA person holds up a sign reading “vote” as a large crowd gathers outside the Minnesota State Capitol during the “No Kings” national day of protest in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on March 28, 2026.
\nPhoto: KEREM YUCEL \/ AFP\n<\/p>\n

US Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, a Trump critic who sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016 and 2020, was another speaker at the event in Minnesota. Musician Bruce Springsteen also appeared and performed his song “Streets of Minneapolis” – a ballad that blasts Trump’s immigration crackdown and laments the deaths of Good and Pretti.<\/p>\n

“We will not allow this country to descend into authoritarianism or oligarchy in America,” said Sanders, an independent. “We, the people, will rule.”<\/p>\n

Other large rallies took place in New York, Dallas, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Washington, but two-thirds of the events were happening outside major cities, a nearly 40 percent jump for smaller communities from the movement’s first mobilization last June, organizers said.<\/p>\n

In New York, a crowd that police estimated at tens of thousands stretched more than 10 blocks in midtown Manhattan. Actor Robert De Niro, one of the organizers, said that no president before Trump has posed “such an existential threat to our freedoms and security.”<\/p>\n

Holly Bemiss, 54, said she and other New York rally attendees were acting in the same spirit as her ancestors who fought in the American Revolution.<\/p>\n

“We fought against having kings, and we fought for freedom,” she said. “We’re just doing it again.”<\/p>\n

On the National Mall in Washington, the crowd chanted pro-democracy slogans and held anti-Trump signs. Outside one high-rise assisted-living center in Chevy Chase, Maryland, a group of elderly people in wheelchairs held signs encouraging passing cars to “Resist tyranny,” “Honk if you want democracy” and “Dump Trump.”<\/p>\n

Thousands attended a Dallas event that had clashes between No Kings demonstrators and counterprotest groups, including one led by Enrique Tarrio, the former leader of the far-right organization the Proud Boys.<\/p>\n

Minor scuffles erupted when counterprotesters blocked streets. Dallas police eventually made several arrests.<\/p>\n

Trump’s policies have galvanized the opposition, Dallas protester Chris Brendel said.<\/p>\n

“One thing I’ll give Trump credit for is mobilizing the dissenters. I can’t stand by and be silent anymore simply because of my boys and their friends and the future,” Brendel said.<\/p>\n

Trump’s approval rating has fallen to 36%<\/a>, its lowest point since his return to the White House, according to a Reuters\/Ipsos poll.<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for the National Republican Congressional Committee criticized Democratic politicians and candidates for supporting the rallies.<\/p>\n

“These Hate America Rallies are where the far-left’s most violent, deranged fantasies get a microphone and House Democrats get their marching orders,” spokesperson Mike Marinella said in a statement.<\/p>\n

\"Images<\/p>\n

\nImages of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, who were shot by ICE officials, are displayed as a large crowd of demonstrators gather outside the Minnesota State Capitol during the “No Kings” national day of protest in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
\nPhoto: KEREM YUCEL\/AFP\n<\/p>\n

\"Demonstrators<\/p>\n

\nDemonstrators take part in the “No Kings” national day of protest outside the Michigan State Capitol building in Lansing, Michigan, on March 28, 2026.
\nPhoto: JEFF KOWALSKY \/ AFP\n<\/p>\n

Marching ahead of midterms<\/p>\n

With midterm elections later this year in the U.S., organizers say they have seen a surge in the number of people organizing anti-Trump events and registering to participate in deeply Republican states like Idaho, Wyoming, Montana and Utah.<\/p>\n

Competitive suburban areas that have helped decide national elections are seeing “huge” increases in interest, Greenberg said, citing as examples Pennsylvania’s Bucks and Delaware counties, East Cobb and Forsyth in Georgia, and Scottsdale and Chandler in Arizona.<\/p>\n

“Voters who decide elections, the people who do the door-knocking and the voter registration and all of the work of turning protests into power, they are taking to the streets right now, and they are furious,” she said.<\/p>\n

In northern Virginia just outside Washington, D.C., several hundred people began gathering on Saturday close to Arlington National Cemetery before a planned march across the Potomac River to the capital city’s National Mall.<\/p>\n

Some passing drivers honked their horns in support but others slowed down to berate the protesters.<\/p>\n

“You’re all idiots,” one man shouted from his car.<\/p>\n

John Ale, 57, a retired air-conditioning and heating contractor, said he drove 20 minutes from his home in Virginia to join the march.<\/p>\n

“What’s happening in this country is unsustainable,” he said. “The middle class, the little people, can’t afford to live anymore. And he (Trump) is breaking the norms, the things that made us function as a country.”<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

\nAn aerial view shows people marching near the Georgia state Capitol building during the “No Kings” national day of protest in Atlanta, Georgia, on March 28, 2026.
\nPhoto: ELIJAH NOUVELAGE\/AFP\n<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

\nA person holds a sign reading “grab him by the Epstein files” as they gather at Boston Common during the “No Kings” national day of protest in Boston, Massachusetts, on March 28, 2026.
\nPhoto: JOSEPH PREZIOSO \/ AFP\n<\/p>\n

A call to action against Iran war<\/p>\n

The No Kings movement launched last year on Trump’s birthday, June 14, drew an estimated 4 to 6 million people across roughly 2100 sites nationwide. The second mobilization in October involved an estimated 7 million participants in more than 2700 cities, according to a crowd-sourcing analysis published by prominent data journalist G. Elliott Morris.<\/p>\n

That October event was largely fuelled by a backlash against a government shutdown, an aggressive crackdown by federal immigration authorities, and the deployment of National Guard troops to major cities.<\/p>\n

Saturday’s events come amid what organizers said was a call to action against the bombardment of Iran by the US and Israel, a conflict that is now four weeks old.<\/p>\n

Morgan Taylor, 45, attended the Washington protest with her 12-year-old son, and said she was enraged by Trump’s military action in Iran, which she called a “stupid war.”<\/p>\n

“Nobody’s attacking us,” Taylor said. “We don’t need to be there.”<\/p>\n

-Reuters<\/p>\n

\"Demonstrators<\/p>\n

\nDemonstrators participate in the “No Kings” national day of protest on the National Mall in Washington, DC, on March 28, 2026.
\nPhoto: KEN CEDENO \/ AFP\n<\/p>\n

\"Demonstrators<\/p>\n

\nDemonstrators take part in the “No Kings” national day of protest outside the Michigan State Capitol building in Lansing, Michigan, on March 28, 2026.
\nPhoto: JEFF KOWALSKY \/ AFP\n<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

\nA person holds a sign reading “Trump is a Russian” outside the Minnesota State Capitol during the “No Kings” national day of protest in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on March 28, 2026.
\nPhoto: KEREM YUCEL\n<\/p>\n

\"Demonstrators<\/p>\n

\nDemonstrators participate in the “No Kings” national day of protest on the National Mall in Washington, DC, on March 28, 2026.
\nPhoto: KEN CEDENO \/ AFP\n<\/p>\n

\"People<\/p>\n

\nPeople march across the Frederick Douglass Bridge during the “No Kings” national day of protest in Washington, DC, on March 28, 2026.
\nPhoto: AARON SCHWARTZ\n<\/p>\n

\"Demonstrators<\/p>\n

\nDemonstrators hold effigies of Trump administration officials as they gather at the Lincoln Memorial during the “No Kings” national day of protest in Washington, DC, on March 28, 2026.
\nPhoto: KEN CEDENO \/ AFP\n<\/p>\n

\"Demonstrators<\/p>\n

\nDemonstrators rally against White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller during the “No Kings” national day of protest in Washington, DC, on March 28, 2026.
\nPhoto: AARON SCHWARTZ \/ AFP\n<\/p>\n

\"People<\/p>\n

\nPeople hold signs as they gather at Boston Common during the “No Kings” national day of protest in Boston, Massachusetts, on March 28, 2026.
\nPhoto: JOSEPH PREZIOSO\n<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

\nA woman holds a sign and waves a US flag as a large crowd gathers outside the Minnesota State Capitol during the “No Kings” national day of protest in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on March 28, 2026.
\nPhoto: KEREM YUCEL \/ AFP\n<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

\nA person holds up a sign reading “no kings” in front of the US Capitol during an “Impeach, Convict, Remove the Regime” rally in Washington, DC, on March 28, 2026.
\nPhoto: KEN CEDENO \/ AFP\n<\/p>\n

\"People<\/p>\n

\nPeople hold a banner and signs as they march near the Georgia state Capitol building during the “No Kings” national day of protest in Atlanta, Georgia.
\nPhoto: ELIJAH NOUVELAGE\/AFP\n<\/p>\n

\"Protesters<\/p>\n

\nProtesters holding a large sign depicting the Declaration of Independence march near Times Square during the “No Kings” national day of protest in New York on March 28, 2026.
\nPhoto: CHARLY TRIBALLEAU \/ AFP\n<\/p>\n

\"LOUISVILLE,<\/p>\n

\nDemonstrators gather at a “No Kings” protest on March 28, 2026 in Louisville, Kentucky.
\nPhoto: JON CHERRY\n<\/p>\n

\"LOUISVILLE,<\/p>\n

\nProtesters chant and march in the streets during a “No Kings” protest on March 28, 2026 in Louisville, Kentucky
\nPhoto: JON CHERRY\n<\/p>\n

\"DALLAS,<\/p>\n

\nPeople rally at the Dallas City Hall Plaza in protest against the Trump administration during a “No Kings” demonstration on March 28, 2026 in Dallas, Texas.
\nPhoto: BRANDON BELL \/ AFP<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"People hold flags and signs as a large crowd gathers outside the Minnesota State Capitol during the “No…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":353027,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[48,47,42,43,49,46,44,45,40,38,41,39],"class_list":["post-353026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-audio","tag-current-affairs","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-podcasts","tag-public-radio","tag-radio-new-zealand","tag-rnz","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/353026","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=353026"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/353026\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/353027"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=353026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=353026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=353026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}