• Participants express concern over ‘authoritarianism’, immigration crackdowns and threats to democracy
• Republican leaders criticise the events as ‘Hate America’ rallies; US president offers muted response, says ‘I’m not a king’
WASHINGTON: Huge crowds took to the streets Saturday in all 50 US states to vent their anger over President Donald Trump’s hardline policies at “No Kings” protests that top Republicans ridiculed as “Hate America” rallies.
From New York and Washington to smaller cities in Michigan, more than 2,700 protests were planned coast to coast, with organisers saying they expected millions to attend what could be one of the largest protest turnouts in modern US history.
The mass mobilisation, the second of its kind after similar events in June, is aimed at what opponents say is an agenda pushing the country toward autocracy.
“This is what democracy looks like!” chanted thousands at a protest in Washington near the National Mall. Many carried American flags while others shouted, “Hey hey ho ho, Donald Trump has got to go!”
Demonstrators are up in arms over what they see as strongarm tactics since the Republican billionaire returned to the White House in January. Grievances include attacks on the media, the prosecution of political opponents and a vast immigration crackdown that has seen National Guard troops ordered into cities such as Los Angeles, Washington and Memphis.
The protests also come as a US government shutdown entered its third week, with the Trump administration firing thousands of federal workers amid a legislative impasse.
Thousands flooded New York’s Times Square, Boston Common and Chicago’s Grant Park. In Los Angeles, where organisers said they expected 100,000 people to attend, plans were made to float a giant balloon of Trump depicted in a diaper.
“I never thought I would live to see the death of my country as a democracy,” Colleen Hoffman, a 69-year-old retiree, told AFP in New York. “We are in a crisis — the cruelty of this regime, the authoritarianism. I just feel like I cannot sit home and do nothing.”
While Trump’s response to Saturday’s events was muted, his top surrogates were in more fighting form. House Speaker Mike Johnson called the day of protest the “Hate America rally”.
“You’re going to bring together the Marxists, the Socialists, the Antifa advocates, the anarchists and the pro-Hamas wing of the far-left Democrat Party,” Johnson told reporters.
Republican lawmaker Tom Emmer also used the “Hate America” phrase and referred to participants as the “terrorist wing” of the Democratic Party.
Other Republicans have voiced concerns that the marches could motivate political violence, especially following the September assassination of political activist Charlie Kirk, a close confidant of Trump.
In an interview with the Fox News show “Sunday Morning Futures”, Trump addressed the “No Kings” moniker directly. “They’re saying they’re referring to me as a king. I’m not a king,” he said.
The movement’s organisers, a coalition of more than 300 grassroots groups led by the progressive organisation Indivisible Project, framed the day as a defence of democratic principles.
“There is nothing more American than saying we don’t have kings and exercising our right to peacefully protest,” said Leah Greenberg, co-founder of Indivisible.
Deirdre Schifeling, chief political and advocacy officer for the American Civil Liberties Union, said protesters wanted to convey that “we are a country of equals.” The ACLU said it had given legal and de-escalation training to tens of thousands of people acting as marshals at the marches.
Support for the demonstrations came from top Democrats, including Sen Chuck Schumer, Sen Bernie Sanders and Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
“I say to my fellow Americans this No Kings Day: Do not let Donald Trump and Republicans intimidate you into silence,” Schumer wrote Saturday on X. “Speak out, use your voice, and exercise your right to free speech.”
Beyond the United States, small protests took place Saturday in London, Madrid, Malaga, Spain and Malmo, Sweden.
Dana Fisher, a professor at American University and an author of several books on American activism, said the day’s main point was to build solidarity.
“The main point of this day of action is to create a sense of collective identity amongst all the people who are feeling like they are being persecuted or are anxious due to the Trump administration and its policies,” Fisher said.
“It’s not going to change Trump’s policies. But it might embolden elected officials at all levels who are in opposition to Trump.“
Published in Dawn, October 19th, 2025
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