Protesters march down Pennsylvania Avenue for Saturday’s “No Kings” protest in Washington, D.C.
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Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call Inc. via Getty Images
Demonstrators across the U.S. took to the streets on Saturday to protest the policies of President Trump. The marches are part of the No Kings movement, which has accused the president of behaving more like a monarch than an elected official.
This is the second massive wave of protests organized by No Kings — a network of progressive organizations fighting against Trump’s agenda. Organizers projected a turnout in the millions across the country.
By late morning on Saturday, East Coast crowds were already making their voices heard. Gothamist reported that in New York City’s Times Square, protesters had begun spilling into the crowd on Broadway amid matinee show attendees, carrying signs that read: “resist the fascists traitors” and “No crowns, No kings.”
“In June, we did what many claimed was impossible: peacefully mobilized millions of people to take to the streets and declare with one voice: America has No Kings,” No Kings said on its website.
The overwhelmingly peaceful June protests were in response to a military parade held on the Army’s 250th anniversary — which coincided with Trump’s 79th birthday.
Critics said Trump had pushed for the extravagant parade not to commemorate the armed forces, but as a display of his own vanity.
“Now, President Trump has doubled down,” No Kings said on its website, citing immigration detentions carried out by often-masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, the administration’s aggressive slashing of federal education resources and environmental protections, gerrymandering and other concerns.
A person dressed in a Statue of Liberty costume participates in a “No Kings” national day of protest in New York on Saturday. Millions of people are expected to attend similar protests across the country, organizers say.
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Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images
No Kings organizers estimated that more than 5 million people turned out for the June protests. They speculated that Saturday’s event could be even bigger.
House Speaker Mike Johnson has slammed the event as a “hate America rally,” and other Republicans have derided the event as anti-American.
Responding to NPR’s questions about the protests, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said: “Who cares?”
Republican Govs. Glenn Youngkin of Virginia and Greg Abbott of Texas, in preparation for the day of protesters, mobilized their states’ National Guards.
“The Governor has authorized state active duty for training to help ensure the Guard will be ready to respond if needed to help keep people safe,” Youngkin spokesman Peter Finocchio wrote in a statement to VPM.
The Texas Newsroom reported that Abbott said in a statement: “Violence and destruction will never be tolerated in Texas. Texas will deter criminal mischief and work with local law enforcement to arrest anyone engaging in acts of violence or damaging property.”
Speaking to Connecticut Public, that state’s lead organizer, Jim Chapdelaine, reiterated the group’s commitment to peace and the importance of showing up for what you believe in.
“There are powers that be that would prefer we all just stay at our houses and, I don’t know, take up crochet,” Chapdelaine said in a Tuesday interview. “It’s really important to build community and solidarity and unity, [and] especially important to do that in a very peaceful way.”