Thousands of San Diegans flocked to streets across the county Saturday morning — brandishing picket signs and American flags — to join a movement of millions in a second round of “No Kings” protests opposing the administration of President Donald Trump.
About 2,500 events worldwide were planned, including at least 14 in San Diego County. In addition to downtown, events were planned for locations including El Cajon, Chula Vista, Borrego Springs, Carlsbad, Ramona, Vista, Mira Mesa and La Jolla.
Hundreds gather downtown before the start of “No Kings” protests at San Diego Civic Plaza. (Phillip Molnar)
The “No Kings” protest had begun early Saturday at Civic Center Plaza in downtown San Diego, with roughly 400 people gathered by 9:30 a.m. The crowd had swelled to at least 800 people by 10 a.m.
Many had signs criticizing President Donald Trump and wore colorful costumes.
Jenny Driessen, 48, of Phoenix, was in town visiting friends and decided to come to the protest. She was wearing a piñata costume and holding a “No Kings” sign with a drawing of Trump wearing a crown.
“Democracy doesn’t come for free,” she said. “We can’t expect some superhero to come save us.”
Nate Kicklighter, 45, of Pacific Beach, said he disagreed with the Trump administration on most of its policies, including its military demonstration at Camp Pendleton that was set to close portions of Interstate 5 later that day.
“(It’s a) military demonstration for absolutely no reason,” he said. “What is happening in our country is not OK.”
Another “No Kings” protest was expected just outside Camp Pendleton on Saturday afternoon, which Vice President J.D. Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth are visiting to watch an amphibious assault demonstration called “From Sea to Shore: A Review of Amphibious Strength” on the base to celebrate the Marines’ 250th birthday.
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Roughly 2,000 people marched down Ash Street from Civic Center to converge with thousands of protesters assembled at Waterfront Park. They chanted things like “No hate, no Fear, Immigrants are welcome here” and “Hey Hey Ho Ho Donald Trump has got to go.”
David Chambers, 64, San Diego resident and retired home builder held up a Bluetooth playing Woody Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land,” as a crowd of protesters walked by.
“When you stand up to a bully, they back down,” he said, when asked if he thinks today will make a difference.
“I am an eternal optimist. I have hope for America, that the American spirit will rise up and will speak up and will stand up to those who are abusing their power for self gain, self enrichment, for the enrichment of their family members and their friends.”
Protesters hold signs at the start of “No Kings” protests at Waterfront Park. (San Diego Union-Tribune/ Meg McLaughlin)
“The president thinks his rule is absolute. But in America, we don’t have kings, and we won’t back down against chaos, corruption, and cruelty,” No Kings organizers say on their website.
When asked for comment about the protests, a White House spokesperson responded: “Who cares?”
Other top elected Republicans in Washington, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, have referred to the protests as a “hate America rally.”
To Wendy Gelernter, who lives in Pacific Beach and is organizing local protests with Take Action San Diego, that characterization “couldn’t be further from the truth.”
“There’s nothing more American than standing up for what you believe and exercising your First Amendment rights,” she said. “The Boston Tea Party was the first big No Kings protest, and we’re carrying on a good tradition.”
No Kings protests held earlier this year — on June 14, Trump’s birthday — drew millions of people to thousands of events nationwide, including multiple ones around San Diego County. At least 60,000 marched through downtown San Diego alone.
The widespread protests come as overall public approval of Trump appears to have gradually soured since his inauguration. His approval ratings dropped below 50% in May and have sunk further since, according to a New York Times average of polls conducted by dozens of organizations.
His administration has continued his push to deport immigrants — since February, there have been more than 1,800 ICE arrests in the San Diego region alone, three times as many as last year — even as surveys suggest a majority of Americans believe it has gone too far.
Most voters, about 54%, approve of deporting immigrants in the country illegally, but most also disapprove of Trump’s handling of immigration and believe the way people have been deported is not fair, according to a New York Times and Siena University survey published this month.
Meanwhile the country is mired in a federal shutdown that is now in its third week due to a partisan impasse in Congress over healthcare costs, with Trump, Republicans and Democrats sharing the blame, per a recent AP-NORC poll.
Originally Published: October 18, 2025 at 10:25 AM PDT