Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets across Southern California on Saturday for “No Kings” demonstrations against President Trump, portraying the commander in chief as an aspiring monarch as he continues to engage in what critics argue is government overreach.
In Grand Park, protesters gathered under the shade of a 20-foot inflatable of Trump in a diaper as a band belted out an Epstein files-themed parody of Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues.” Protesters draped in LGBTQ+, Mexican and American flags held signs that read “Liberty,” “No Kings” and “Veto The Cheeto.”
“We’re here to fight fascism, and we’re not afraid,” said 25-year-old Jess Sanchez, who has had family members targeted in recent immigration raids. “This is our city and our country.”
The gathering in Grand Park was just one of thousands that unfolded across the country on Saturday as part of a nationwide effort to push back not only against the president, but his administration’s policies on immigration, education, healthcare and environmental protections.
More than 2,700 “No Kings” demonstrations were scheduled across the country, roughly 600 more events than in June. Demonstrations in New York, Chicago, Atlanta and Boston drew massive crowds.
In June, roughly 5 million demonstrators rallied across the nation for the first “No Kings” protests as the Trump administration’s agenda began coming into focus. At that time, the Department of Homeland Security had begun carrying out large-scale immigration raids across Southern California, and Trump deployed military troops to Los Angeles in response to mass protests.
Since then, many Americans believe that Trump’s actions — doubling down on immigration raids in major cities, deploying National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., and embarking on an aggressive campaign against political opponents — have only become more severe.
Trump pushed back against the underlying premise of the protests in an interview with Fox News on Friday. “They’re referring to me as a king,” he said. “I’m not a king.”
Pedro Sanchez, who immigrated to the United States from Mexico more than 50 years ago, said the protest was an expression of the 1st Amendment, which he said the administration has continued to challenge.
He pointed to last month’s temporary suspension of Jimmy Kimmel after the talk show host made remarks following the death of Republican activist Charlie Kirk as a key example.
“Look at what happened to Kimmel — if that could happen to him, it can happen to any of us,” Sanchez said. “We want our rights back; we can’t take this anymore.”
Some protesters tried to bring some levity to the seriousness of the day.
A cohort of people in inflatable costumes — dinosaurs, chickens and sharks — strolled through the crowd, an adoption of a recent strategy undertaken by protesters in Oregon meant to ease tensions and signal nonviolence.
But for Matt Faw, a documentary filmmaker, his Uncle Sam costume was intended to make a point. The costume, largely seen as a national personification of the United States, was his way of criticizing what he said was the Trump administration’s perversion of American symbols.
“The symbols of America have been stolen by people who want to insist that America means white, Christian patriarchal power,” Faw said. “As opposed to what I see … which is groups that are very different from each other learning to get along and form a better union together.”
Faw said he generally attends such protests as an observer with his camera in hand. But this time, fear and fury drove him to get involved as a regular citizen.
“I’m afraid that it’s happening so fast that we won’t be able to get the country back that I grew up in,” he added.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom urged protesters to demonstrate peacefully saying in a statement on X that “our strength is in our unity.”
“The values Americans cherish are under assault by [Donald Trump],” he said. “THIS IS THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, and California will keep peacefully pushing back against the Trump Administration’s authoritarian takeover.”
In Long Beach, thousands of protesters packed the bluffs along Ocean Boulevard, cheering amid a chorus of honking horns. Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Long Beach) posed for a photograph with another attendee holding a sign that read “Fascists have small dictators.”
“NO KINGS in Long Beach,” he wrote on X. “So proud of our city for turning out and opposing Trump.”
In San Diego, police said more than 25,000 people showed up to rallies across the city. There were no arrests, officials said.
In an attempt to broaden the scope of “No Kings,” organizers are appealing to Americans upset over the rising cost of living, gutting of environmental protections, sweeping overhauls of federal agencies, and the government shutdown over looming healthcare cuts.
Organizers say the goal of “No Kings” goes beyond just getting Americans out on the streets, hoping to connect people who are upset and frustrated with the Trump administration to local organizing groups.
Podcaster Brian Tyler Cohen roused the crowd at Grand Park, pointing to the scope of the “No Kings” protests nationwide.
“Millions of people taking to the streets right now destroys the optics of Donald Trump having total control of this country,” Cohen said. “We are here because we love America. We are here because this is a country worth fighting for.”
Saturday’s rallies are happening amid a major disruption to one of Southern California’s major freeways.
The state announced Saturday morning that it would close a 17-mile stretch of Interstate 5 for several hours after military officials confirmed that live-fire artillery rounds will be shot over the freeway during a Marine Corps event at Camp Pendleton.
The unprecedented closure caused massive gridlock and confusion, but appeared to have little effect on the day’s demonstrations.
Staff writers Jenny Jarvie and Nathan Solis contributed to this report.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.