Three Takeaways From Saturday S No Kings Nationwide Protests

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Dec 30, 2025, 5:15 PM

three takeaways from saturday s no kings nationwide protests

One of the biggest days of protest against the Trump administration's policies happened on Saturday in cities around the U.S. The overriding theme of the marches was the accusation that President Trump is behaving more like a monarch than an elected official. It marked the second massive wave of protests organized by No Kings — a network of progressive organizations fighting against Trump's agenda. Organizers said about 2,600 No Kings events were planned across nearly every state, and that it projected a bigger turnout than the 5 million it said attended its previous nationwide action in June. Energized by a slew of actions taken by the administration since the summer protests, the group cited widespread immigration detentions carried out by often-masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, the administration's aggressive slashing of... Here's a recap of how the protests unfolded.

Protesters march down Pennsylvania Avenue for Saturday's "No Kings" protest in Washington, D.C. Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call Inc. via Getty Images hide caption Demonstrators across the U.S. took to the streets on Saturday to protest the policies of President Trump. The overriding theme of the marches was the accusation that the president is 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 some 2,600 events around the country. In New York City's Times Square, protesters carried signs that read: "resist the fascists traitors" and "No crowns, No kings," spilled into the crowd of Broadway matinee show attendees, Gothamist reported. Protesters held rallies across the country opposing Trump’s agenda on the day of the president’s military parade. They cap a week of demonstrations against immigration raids that began in Los Angeles and spread nationwide. Saturday’s ‘No Kings’ protests were organized by a coalition of groups.

John Yang speaks with Lisa Gilbert, the co-president of one of them, Public Citizen. Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy. They may contain errors. There have been rallies across the country opposing President Trump's agenda on the day of the president's military parade. They cap a week of demonstrations against immigration raids that began in Los Angeles and spread nationwide. Today's events in about 2,000 cities and towns were organized by the no Kings movement, which calls the administration's actions authoritarian.

There were rallies near Mr. Trump's Mar a Lago residence in West Palm Beach, Florida. In Boston, where it was raining in Atlanta, with Proud Boy counter protesters looking on. And in Philadelphia, the flagship No Kings rally. Local officials urged protesters to demonstrate peacefully and avoid blocking roads. The nationwide protests are playing out as a federal government shutdown lingers and troops are being deployed in cities.

More than 2,600 protests against the Trump administration are scheduled to take place across the country on Saturday in a demonstration known as No Kings Day. Organizers are attempting to build on the momentum from their previous event on June 14, when around 2,000 rallies were held in all 50 states and drew more than five million people. It was the same day a military parade was held in Washington for the Army’s 250th anniversary and on President Trump’s 79th birthday. This time, the protests are taking place against the backdrop of a government shutdown, immigration raids and the deployment of federal troops in cities. Organizers say that the tenor behind the protest movement feels more charged and that they expect an even larger number of participants. The number of people who have already signed up, which is not a requirement, is nearly double what it was in June, said Hunter Dunn, a spokesman for the coalition behind No Kings.

Americans turned out en masse in communities across the country Saturday, raucously pushing back on what they see as President Donald Trump’s widening authoritarianism, attacks on immigrants and deep cuts to scores of federal... Opponents of President Donald Trump’s administration are set to rally in hundreds of cities on Saturday during the military parade in Washington for the Army’s 250th anniversary — which coincides with Trump’s birthday. The “No Kings” protests are set to take place to counter what organizers say are Trump’s plans to feed his ego on what is also his 79th birthday and Flag Day. Stream NBC4 newscasts for free right here, right now. The Army birthday celebration had already been planned. But earlier this spring, Trump announced his intention to ratchet up the event to include 60-ton M1 Abrams battle tanks and Paladin self-propelled howitzers rolling through the city streets.

He has long sought a similar display of patriotic force. The “No Kings” theme was orchestrated by the 50501 Movement, a national movement made up of everyday Americans who stand for democracy and against what they call the authoritarian actions of the Trump administration. The name 50501 stands for 50 states, 50 protests, one movement. On Saturday, crowds gathered in cities across the United States to protest President Donald Trump and his administration. Organizers of the No Kings rallies claim that more than 7 million people attended in all, across 2,700 cities in the Unites States and beyond. The gatherings provided a clear picture not only of how widespread the resistance to the Trump administration has become, but also the diversity of the coalition driving it.

Not to mention the signs. “Today, millions of Americans stood together to reject authoritarianism and remind the world that our democracy belongs to the people, not to one man’s ambition,” said Ezra Levin and Leah Greenberg, cofounders of the... Ahead of Saturday, House speaker Mike Johnson described the planned gatherings as the “hate America rally” and warned that the crowds would be filled with “antifa types.” In reality, the protests were uniformly peaceful,... And Trump's response to No Kings? An AI-generated video of himself, wearing a crown, piloting a fighter jet and dropping massive amounts of excrement on protesting US citizens below. In the real world, the crowds walked their routes without issue.

Below are snapshots of No Kings from cities across the US, a look at a protest movement that is increasingly motivated and able to mobilize. Pedro Pascal protesting in Los Angeles, California

Three Takeaways From Saturday S No Kings Nationwide Protests

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