Tens of thousands gathered across the United States on Saturday at the start of nationwide mass protests against what organizers view as rising authoritarianism under President Donald Trump.
More than 2,600 “No Kings” rallies were due to be held in cities and towns in all 50 states in what is thought to be the largest mobilization against the Trump Administration yet.
Large crowds took to the streets in East Coast cities by midday on Saturday, including in New York, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Boston and Miami. Some experts have speculated that the demonstrations could be the largest in recent U.S. history.
The protests come in response to an unprecedented use of presidential power by Trump in his second term. Since January, Trump has ordered the National Guard into Democratic-run cities to quell protests and aid in immigration enforcement, launched a crackdown on left-wing and liberal groups, and implemented a sweeping mass deportation program that has seen masked federal agents engaged in military-style raids and detaining people without due process.
The 'No Kings' rallies have earned the backing of Democrats from across the ideological spectrum. Former presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Hillary Clinton have both given their support, along with progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and independent Senator Bernie Sanders.
Taking to the stage at the rally in Washington, D.C., Sanders told the crowd: "We're here because we love America."
“This moment is not just about one man’s greed, one man’s corruption, or one man’s contempt for the constitution,” Sanders continued, calling out the billionaires who attended Trump’s inauguration, specifically calling out Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Mark Zuckerberg. “This is about a handful of the wealthiest people on earth, who in their insatiable greed, have hijacked our economy and our political system in order to enrich themselves at the expense of working families throughout this country.”
Bill Nye, beloved children’s television program host known for “Bill Nye the Science Guy,” also addressed D.C. protestors, lamenting the Trump Administration's treatment of scientists—likely addressing the major cuts that have occurred at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under new head Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
"They do not promote the progress of science. They suppress it, to the detriment of our health, well-being, and international competitiveness,” he said.
Jill Ortman-Fouse, a community organizer in Silver Spring, Maryland, told TIME that the protest there had doubled in size since the last 'No Kings' event in June. Another woman whose job has been impacted indirectly by the federal furlough of workers, and who brought her one-year-old son to his second No Kings protest in Silver Spring, told TIME she was Jewish and “grew up hating fascism, so to see it happening here is heartbreaking. It’s an assault on my soul.”
Read More: We Can Stop the Rise of American Autocracy
The first 'No Kings' day of protest in June, attended by an estimated five million people, was largely peaceful, although isolated clashes broke out between police and demonstrators in several cities.
Organizers had raised fears ahead of the protest that Trump and his allies would use the protests as an excuse to launch further crackdowns on dissent.
In Texas, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott announced National Guard deployments in Austin, citing what he called possible threats from “antifa-linked” demonstrators. Democrats there accused him of using the Guard to intimidate protesters.
The American Civil Liberties Union, Indivisible, MoveOn and the American Federation of Teachers say they are taking extra precautions, focusing on de-escalation and community safety, and distributing guidance on how to respond peacefully if met with aggression by law enforcement or counterprotesters.
“They might try to paint this weekend’s events as something dangerous,” said Diedre Schlifeling, the ACLU’s chief political and advocacy officer. “But the reality is there is nothing unlawful or unsafe about organizing and attending peaceful protests. It’s the most patriotic and American thing you can do.”
Read more: The Potential Power, and Perils, of the ‘No Kings’ Protests
Kamala Harris was among many top Democrats who urged people to join the rallies.
“In our country, the power is with the people, and tomorrow I encourage everyone to get out there in peaceful protest of what is happening in our country and express our voice around the country we believe in,” Harris, who lost to Trump in the 2024 presidential election, said in a video posted to social media on Saturday.
Trump has said very little about the protests, but made a passing remark on Friday before departing for his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida.
"They say they're referring to me as a king. I'm not a king," Trump told Fox News.
The president arrived at his golf club in West Palm Beach on Saturday morning, a few hours ahead of the protests.
Top members of Trump’s Republican Party have condemned the protests. House Speaker Mike Johnson called the demonstrations against the Trump Administration a “Hate America rally” and claimed it would draw the “pro-Hamas wing” of the Democratic Party and “the antifa people.”
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described expected participants as “the farthest left, the hardest core, the most unhinged in the Democratic Party.” Republican Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas suggested the National Guard might need to show up.
In a press conference on Thursday, organizers accused Republicans of attempting to intimidate people from attending. “Now they are trying to smear millions of Americans who are coming out to protest so that they can justify and crack down on peaceful dissent,” said Leah Greenberg, co-founder of Indivisible, one of the groups that organized the event. “It is the classic authoritarian playbook—threaten, smear and lie—but we will not be intimidated.”
Demonstrators have also gathered in cities throughout Europe for their own versions of No Kings Protests, including in Paris, Berlin, Sweden, and Madrid. Dutch News describes the Amsterdam protest, including posters that decry the Trump Administration’s immigration crackdown: “I like my Democracy neat. Hold the ICE,” one poster they photograph read.
This is a developing story.
— Additional reporting by Nik Popli and Lissa August
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