Tens of thousands of people in Southern California and millions across the country joined marches and rallies Saturday for the third nationwide “No Kings” protest against the policies and actions of President Donald Trump.
Organizers predicted the turnout for the No Kings National Day of Nonviolent Action would be historic, including an estimated 12 million protesters, 5 million more than the most recent No Kings day rallies in October.
In Anaheim’s La Palma Park along North La Palma Parkway, flags were hoisted that read, “No Kings in America” and signs with slogans like “Elect a Clown. Get a Circus.”
More than three dozen local and national groups, including the Sunrise Movement and Orange County Young Democrats, set up booths to recruit volunteers to their causes and gather signatures for ballot initiatives, such as Anaheim’s rent control ordinance and a statewide tax on billionaires.
“This is what it looks like when a community decides when it is done being pushed aside. This is what it looks like when people show up for each other,” said Anaheim Mayor Pro Tem Carlos Leon, who wore a black shirt emblazoned with an American pride flag. “This moment, right here, is not small,” Leon told protesters from a podium.
Kathy Truong, a quality control manager for an industrial chemical company, attended the rally with a cardboard cutout of a globe covered by a scroll of toilet paper and poop emojis. The caption: “Need a global supply of toilet paper to remove these pedos.”
Truong, 37, said that she’s incensed by the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, or SAVE Act, and its impact on women. The proposed SAVE Act legislation would fundamentally change how Americans register to vote.
“I’m getting married and the fact that I cannot even change my name because it might prevent me from voting is ridiculous,” she said.
A sign at the “No Kings” protest at the Huntington Beach Pier on Saturday, March 28, 2026. (Karen Tapia, Contributing Photographer)
Signs at the “No Kings” protest at the Huntington Beach Pier on Saturday, March 28, 2026. (Karen Tapia, Contributing Photographer)
Bethany Webb, a longtime resident of Huntington Beach, shouts out chants at the “No Kings” protest held at the Huntington Beach Pier on Saturday, March 28, 2026 (Karen Tapia, Contributing Photographer)
A sign from the “No Kings” protest in Riverside on Saturday, March 28. (Photo by Madison Hart)
Throngs of people show up at the “No Kings” protest at the Huntington Beach Pier on Saturday, March 28, 2026. (Karen Tapia, Contributing Photographer)
Kathy Tell holds her sign on Marron Road during a No Kings protest in Carlsbad on Saturday, March 28, 2026. (Hayne Palmour IV / For The San Diego Union-Tribune)
As part of a countywide march in San Diego, demonstrators gathered at Waterfront Park on Harbor Drive at the Embarcadero on Saturday, March 28, 2026. Participants say they are mobilizing in defense of democratic institutions, civil liberties, and social programs affecting San Diego County families. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
A tired bald eagle rests in the shade during the “No Kings” protest at La Palma Park in Anaheim on Saturday, March 28, 2026. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Jessica Reynolds says she likes to add a little levity to the “No Kings” protest at La Palma Park in Anaheim on Saturday, March 28, 2026. “We need to laugh even though we’re crying inside,” she said. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Kookie Joyner joins forces with Libby, owned by Corinne Puga, during the “No Kings” protest at La Palma Park in Anaheim on Saturday, March 28, 2026. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
“No Kings” protesters hit the streets in Anahiem near La Palma Park on Saturday, March 28, 2026. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A “No Kings” protest in front of City Hall in Los Angeles on Saturday, March 28, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Thousands came out, wearing costumes, holding signs and waving flags in support of the “No Kings” protest in front of City Hall in Los Angeles on Saturday, March 28, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Throngs of people came come out, wearing costumes, holding signs, and waving flags in support of the “No Kings” protest in front of City Hall in Los Angeles on Saturday, March 28, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Thousands came out, wearing costumes, holding signs and waving flags in support of the “No Kings” protest in front of City Hall in Los Angeles on Saturday, March 28, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Hundreds of “No Kings” protesters carried signs at the intersection of University Avenue and Market Street in Riverside on Saturday, March 28, 2026. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
“No Kings” demonstrators with balloons and signs peacefully protest at the intersection of University Avenue and Market Street in Riverside on Saturday, March 28, 2026. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
A man dressed as Trump and a prisoner dances as Coldwater Blues Club and The Riverside Revival Resistance Chorus perform during a “No Kings” protest in Riverside on Saturday, March 28, 2026. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
“No Kings” protesters in Torrance express their opposition to the Trump administration on Saturday March 28, 2026.(Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
“No Kings” protesters in Torrance express their opposition to the Trump administration on Saturday March 28, 2026.(Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
“No Kings” protesters in Torrance express their opposition to the Trump administration on Saturday March 28, 2026.(Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
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A sign at the “No Kings” protest at the Huntington Beach Pier on Saturday, March 28, 2026. (Karen Tapia, Contributing Photographer)
In Whittier, ground zero for the protest was at the corner of Painter Avenue and Whittier Boulevard, where a cacophony of whistles, car horns and bongo drums played background to a chant from the 800 protestors who gathered: “We will not stay silent.”
They cheered at the intersection when cars honked support. They sang, “Hey hey, ho, ho, Donald Trump has got to go!”
Some protesters walked in the traffic-jammed intersection with their signs, flags, dogs and children. One chihuahua was pushed by a person in a stroller with a sign saying, “Bite Me.”
Susan McRoberts, 72, wore a homemade sandwich sign reading, “Trump. $20.28” – referring to the price of a gallon of gas.
Nationally, one gallon of gas stood at $3.976 on Saturday, March 28 — nearly a buck higher than the price of gas a month ago, before the war in Iran began on Feb. 28, according to the American Automobile Association. In California, the average price of gas stood at $5.856, about $1.21 higher than a month ago.
“I am here because the man in the White House is dangerous, ” said McRoberts, a retired newspaper and radio reporter. “He’s a malignant narcissist with delusions and he’s going to hate seeing all of us out here.”
Kelly Royce-Gurung, 50, attracted a lot of high-fives and selfie requests when he showed up to the Whittier protest decked out in an inflatable red, white and blue eagle festooned with an upside-down American flag – an official signal of “dire distress,” according to U.S. Flag Code.
“Do I think it makes a difference?” the Whittier elementary school teacher asked. “If there are people on the fence and are thinking of turning their backs on Trump, if they see me and they become brave enough to say, ‘Enough,’ then yes.”
Several thousand people marched Saturday morning at Pasadena City College, led by Los Jornaleros del Norte, the band from the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, riding on a mobile stage.
Sign-toting protesters walked down Colorado Boulevard under the watchful eye of Pasadena police officers on motorcycles. Solidarity in the streets was reflected in signs supporting immigrants, people of color, health care rights and the day’s theme, “No Kings.”
Among them was Patricia Perez, 66, of Eagle Rock, dressed as a character from “The Handmaid’s Tale” and holding a sign that read, “Resist.”
“I’m here for women’s rights and our constitutional rights,” Perez said. “I’m here to show how fragile our rights are. We think they’re fundamental, but they’re temporary.”
Pablo Alvarado, co-executive director of the labor network, speaking from a mobile stage in front of Pasadena City Hall, looked over the thousands gathered and called them “gorgeous.”
“This is what community, love and democracy looks like,” he said. “Diverse. Multigenerational. Multiethic. Gorgeous. That’s what our country is.”
Alvarado relayed stories of immigrants detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and exhorted the crowd to be peaceful but defiant: “Let’s not accept injustice,” he said.
See also: Voices from ‘No Kings’ protests around Southern California
By 11:15 a.m., about 7,000 people had gathered at Torrance City Hall. People of all ages, including children from across the South Bay, yelled and waved signs that said, “No Kings since 1776, Dump Trump,” “ICE = American Gestapo,” and “Too young to vote, not too young to care.”
Tony, a South Bay resident at the Torrance protest, said it seems young people like himself are discouraged and have remained uninvolved.
“When I look around the crowd, I see a lot of older folks and not a lot of people my age or younger,” said Tony, who declined to give his last name or age. “And, frankly, I am not surprised why a lot of my generation is very nihilistic, disengaged, not caring, because all our life, the system has chosen the donor class and the Epstein class over everyday Americans.
“PPP loans are being forgiven, but student loans aren’t,” he added, referring to the Paycheck Protection Program, a COVID-19 relief initiative that provided forgivable loans to small businesses. “Benefits are disappearing (and) jobs are becoming precarious.”
Members of California’s Long Term Caregivers attend the No Kings protest day at at Euclid Avenue and West C Street in Ontario on Saturday, March 28, 2026. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)
Sonia Galindo protests at the corner of North Vineyard Avenue and East Convention Center Way, close to Doubletree by Hilton Hotel Ontario Airport, where a conservative group was meeting on Saturday, March 28, 2026. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)
Demonstrators gather outside of Pasadena City College as protestors prepare to march to City Hall during the “No Kings” rally in Pasadena on Saturday, March 28, 2026. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
Congresswoman Judy Chu speaks outside of Pasadena City Hall during the “No Kings” protest in Pasadena on Saturday, March 28, 2026. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
A estimated crowd of over 100+ protesters showed up for the nationwide “No Kings” event at Ventura Blvd and Hayvenhurst Ave. Saturday in Encino CA. March 28 2026.(Photo by Gene Blevins, Contributing Photographer}
An American flag is flown upside down as an estimated crowd of over 100+ protesters showed up for the nationwide “No Kings” event at Ventura Blvd and Hayvenhurst Ave. Saturday in Encino March 28 2026. (Photo by Gene Blevins, Contributing Photographer}
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Members of California’s Long Term Caregivers attend the No Kings protest day at at Euclid Avenue and West C Street in Ontario on Saturday, March 28, 2026. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)
Saturday was 53-year-old Bonnie Valant-Weiss’ third “No Kings” protest. She came to Torrance from Hawthorne dressed in a historical women’s suffragette outfit, adorned with a sash emblazoned with “Protect women’s rights.”
“I think women’s rights are under attack like they haven’t been in a long time, and we have to fight for them,” Valant-Weiss said. “I don’t think enough people recognize the threat our rights are under. We need to start taking it seriously.”
The keynote speaker at the South Bay’s “No Kings” protest was Democratic Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, who happened to be in the Los Angeles area.
“Today, people are coming out by the millions to say that the people are in charge,” he said. “Donald Trump is not going to rob us of democracy.”
Murphy discussed the war in Iran, voting rights, immigration and Trump’s leadership, and encouraged the protesters to not give up, because America can be and has been “exceptional.”
“We will be able to tell our children and our grandchildren,” he said, “that when American democracy, the greatest experiment in governance in the history of the world, was under threat; maybe the gravest threat in our 250 year history, we stood up and saved it.”
Several thousand protesters gathered in downtown Riverside at Market Street and University Avenue, with the temperature reaching 82 degrees before noon. Performances by local band Cold Waters Blues Club and the Riverside Resistance Chorus rang out.
Protesters chanted, “This is what democracy looks like, this is what community looks like, this is what resistance looks like!” Many carried posters with crowns crossed out or such phrases as “No Kings, No ICE.” One protester carried a sign reading: “I hate crowds, but I hate Trump more.”
Raven, 57, who said she is a retired peace officer, proudly has a wife and is a registered Republican, carried a large flag with an eagle that read: “Real patriots fight fascism.”
“I didn’t vote for him,” said Raven, who declined to give her last name, adding she believes that everything Trump is doing is wrong. People should “stop drinking the orange Kool-Aid,” she said. ”We all need to stay united.”
Protesters said they want to see Trump impeached and ICE abolished. The unpopular war in Iran, the recent chaos at airports, affordability problems and expectations that inflation will continue to rise also were expected to fuel the turnout today.
More than 3,000 communities are holding demonstrations, and more than 30 organizations, spearheaded by Indivisible and 50501, were involved in coordinating “No Kings” events, from rural towns to big cities.
San Diego resident Gaby Lopez, 33, was visiting her parents in Long Beach and joined the local protest because of reports she read about children being grabbed by ICE agents who sent them to detention centers.
“They have no idea what is happening,” Lopez said. “As a child, I didn’t get a say on coming here. My parents wanted to give me a better life, and I’m sure that’s what many families also want.
“Seeing kids being held at detention centers and being taken away from their families really hurts,” she added.
Mark Galloway, 75, held up a sign at the Long Beach rally that read: “Take back USA of, by, for the People.”
The retired Long Beach Unified School District teacher said he’s been alarmed by Trump’s actions, which he sees as aligning with those of Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
“If you’re staying current with what’s going on … I read Robert Wright and Tom Thornton, and it’s the threat,” he said. “And the signs are highly visible. I mean, if you’re reading anything about how this unfolds, they’re using Putin’s playbook … the fact these things are manifesting. It frightens me.”
Trump supporters say the protests are spectacles of no real consequence. They say he’s no king and that he can’t do whatever he wants or he’d outlaw the protests.
The White House dismissed the nationwide demonstrations as the product of “leftist funding networks” with little real public support.
“The only people who care about these Trump Derangement Therapy Sessions are the reporters who are paid to cover them,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement.
Protest organizers say the No Kings-related organizations have shaped public debates and influenced legislative actions, including helping mount pressure to pass bipartisan legislation such as the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
By 2 p.m., hundreds of people filled the steps of Los Angeles City Hall and the grounds of Gloria Molina Grand Park in downtown L.A.
More than 50,000 people were expected for the event set to begin with a rally at 2 p.m., followed by a march at 3 p.m.
Donned in a Statue of Liberty costume, 52-year-old L.A. resident Ilka, who withheld her last name, came out to protest the Trump administration’s “barbarian treatment” of immigrants.
“I’m German, and the similarities are really striking to what happened in Germany in the 1930s,” she said. “Same rhetoric, same mental attitude, same idea, same way of thinking. And so it’s really scary and it’s really serious to me.”
Though the No Kings movement advocates nonviolence and most of the protests are peaceful, some people attending demonstrations in downtown Los Angeles or coming along after dark following recent rallies have faced off with police, who eventually donned riot gear, deployed less-lethal ammunition and made arrests after the smaller crowds failed to disperse.
This past week, in anticipation of today’s protest, metal gates were installed at some on- and off-ramps along the 101 Freeway in the downtown area to stop demonstrations from spilling onto the freeway, blocking traffic and endangering pedestrians.
The Minnesota Capitol in St. Paul is the site of the national flagship “No Kings’ event, in recognition of how the state where federal agents fatally shot two people who were monitoring Trump’s immigration crackdown became an epicenter of resistance.
Headlining that observance was Bruce Springsteen, performing “Streets of Minneapolis,” which he wrote in response to the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, and in tribute to the thousands of Minnesotans who took to the streets over the winter.
Rallies are also planned in more than a dozen other countries, from Europe to Latin America to Australia. Countries with constitutional monarchies call the protests “No Tyrants.”
Staff writers Madeline Armstrong, Sydney Barragan, Madison Hart, Pat Maio, Ryanne Mena, Chirstina Merino, Anissa Rivera and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Swinging gates installed on 101 Freeway ahead of Saturday’s ‘No Kings’ protest