What To Know About The Oct 18 No Kings Protests

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Dec 24, 2025, 7:22 AM

what to know about the oct 18 no kings protests

In the latest in a series of mass protests since President Donald Trump took office, "No Kings" rallies and marches will be held at more than 2,500 locations nationwide on Oct. 18. The protests are meant as a celebration of free speech, the right to assemble and the First Amendment broadly. It is also an opportunity to push back against recent moves by Trump's administration including increased immigration enforcement, organizers say. “This, without question, will be the single biggest day of protest in American history," said Lisa Gilbert, co-president of Public Citizen, which is helping organize the rallies. “Since we last did this, people have become far more aware of what is going wrong with this administration."

Rallies, protests and marches will be held in big cities and small towns across the country. Protesters are being urged to wear yellow. Asked for reaction to the protests Oct. 14, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson replied “Who cares?” Madagascar’s army takes over as Gen Z protesters topple another government, Trump Administration revokes visas of foreigners who ‘celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s death, and more Four months ago, more than five million Americans gathered in small towns and major cities across the country to denounce what they described as President Donald Trump’s expansion of executive power.

The coordinated “No Kings” protests became one of the largest single-day demonstrations in U.S. history—and the biggest since Trump returned to the White House for a second term. Now, organizers are preparing for a second “No Kings” day on Oct. 18, with marches and rallies planned in more than 2,500 locations nationwide—including the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The movement, organized by Indivisible and a broad coalition of labor unions and activist networks, is positioning the October demonstrations as a referendum on what they call repeated “authoritarian power grabs” by the Trump... Organizers have called on Americans to gather peacefully across the nation to “remind President Trump and his enablers: America has No Kings.”

The protests are set to come amid a government shutdown that has left large parts of the federal workforce furloughed or fired. Several prominent Republicans in recent days have accused Democrats of prolonging the government shutdown to align with the upcoming “No Kings” protests. House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Fox News that Democrats wouldn’t vote to reopen the government until after Saturday’s “hate America rally” because “they can’t face their rabid base.” Protests are planned in cities across the country to challenge Trump’s immigration policies. Here’s what you need to know. Big crowds of protesters are expected Saturday in thousands of places around the U.S.

in opposition to what some are characterizing as increasingly authoritarian practices by President Donald Trump. It's the second "No Kings" protest and third mass movement against the administration this year, and it comes amid an intensifying conflict between federal law enforcement and protesters nationwide. Some conservative politicians have condemned the protests as “Hate America" rallies, while others say that it represents a “patriotic” fight for First Amendment rights. 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. No Kings protests (also called No Kings 2.0[12][13][14] and No Kings Day 2.0[15][16]) took place on October 18, 2025, as part of a series of demonstrations taking place largely in the United States against...

The demonstrations, which followed the June 2025 No Kings protests, took place in some 2,700 locations across the country, including the National Mall in Washington, D.C., Chicago, and New York City. Organizers of the protests estimated that the protests drew nearly 7 million attendees,[17][18] while a partnership between data journalist G. Elliott Morris and The Xylom, an independent Atlanta-based science newsroom, estimated 5 million to 6.5 million participants. Either estimate would make this one of the largest single-day protests in American history.[19] The October 18, 2025, protests followed the No Kings protests in June, the Free America Weekend on July 4, and the Good Trouble Lives On protest on July 17. About 200 organizations worked together to organize the October protests, including 50501 and Indivisible groups, as well as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the Democratic Socialists of America, the American Federation of Teachers,...

Outside the United States, protests were organized by Democrats Abroad. Various groups organized protests in the UK, including the Stop Trump Coalition.[29] Organizers were "adamant that the rallies remain peaceful",[30] according to USA Today, and held virtual safety trainings ahead of the protests with help from the ACLU.[31] According to The New York Times, "Many had... Crowds gather to listen to Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., during a No Kings protest, Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025, in Washington.

Allison Robbert/AP hide caption 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. This aerial picture shows protesters forming a human banner during the "No Kings" national day of protest on Ocean Beach in San Francisco, Calif.

on Oct. 18, 2025. Laure Andrillon/AFP via Getty Images hide caption House Speaker Mike Johnson has portrayed the 2,500 marches planned in all 50 states as a ‘hate America rally’ that will draw ‘the pro-Hamas wing’ and ‘the antifa people’ Millions of protesters will gather across the United States on Saturday, October 18, for the next round of No Kings protests against the Trump administration and what protesters describe as its authoritarian governing style. Currently, some 2,500 events are confirmed in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and several cities around the world, making it one of the largest coordinated protest movements in U.S.

history. Participation is expected to surpass the five million people who joined the June protests, which spanned 2,200 events across the country. The co-founder of the Indivisible organization, Ezra Levin, told NBC News that he anticipates “the largest protest in modern American history on Oct. 18,” adding that the scale of the turnout will send a message not only to the administration but also to Democratic lawmakers. Demonstrations are scheduled in major cities across the United States, including New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Boston, Portland and Chicago, where the National Guard is currently deployed on Trump’s orders. Events are also planned in smaller communities across the country, in parks, courthouses and public squares.

Marches and solidarity events have also been organized in other countries including Canada, Mexico and the United Kingdom. The No Kings movement began earlier this year, at the start of the second Trump administration, in response to what organizers describe as President Trump’s authoritarian behavior and abuse of power. The protests are organized by a broad coalition of labor, civil rights, and activist groups, including 50501, Indivisible, MoveOn, the American Federation of Teachers, the American Federation of Government Employees, and the American Civil... In the latest in a series of mass protests since President Donald Trump took office, "No Kings" rallies and marches will be held at more than 2,500 locations nationwide on Oct. 18. The protests are meant as a celebration of free speech, the right to assemble and the First Amendment broadly.

It is also an opportunity to push back against recent moves by Trump's administration including increased immigration enforcement, organizers say. “This, without question, will be the single biggest day of protest in American history," said Lisa Gilbert, co-president of Public Citizen, which is helping organize the rallies. “Since we last did this, people have become far more aware of what is going wrong with this administration." Rallies, protests and marches will be held in big cities and small towns across the country. Protesters are being urged to wear yellow. Asked for reaction to the protests Oct.

14, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson replied “Who cares?” As celebrations for the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary take place in the nation's capital, marchers angry at the president take to nearby streets. (David Dee Delgado for Fox News Digital) "No Kings" protests against President Donald Trump and his administration's policies are set to kick-off in cities nationwide Saturday to declare, "America has No Kings." "We’re standing... On October 18, we gather to remind President Trump and his enablers: America has No Kings!" the movement's website states of the upcoming Saturday protests. Protests declaring America has "no kings" first mobilized back in February on President's Day to denounce the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency and cuts to the federal government. The "No Kings" movement, however, gained national prominence in June, when Trump held a miliary parade honoring the U.S.

Army’s 250th anniversary, which also fell on his 79th birthday. Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets of Washington, Los Angeles, Denver, New York, Philadelphia and elsewhere to protest what they viewed as Trump's "coronation" day, as well as other administration policies,... Millions of people turned out nationwide on Oct. 18 to protest actions by the Trump administration and celebrate their Constitutional rights to freedom of speech and assembly. The crowds at an estimated 2,700 rallies across the country included older Americans who protested Vietnam or never protested anything before, veterans who said they didn't fight for a country led by a dictator,... Many said they were upset by the Trump administration's treatment of immigrants and other vulnerable populations.

If crowd estimates hold, the one-day "No Kings" event was the largest civil action in the United States since the first Earth Day, 55 years ago. No major incidents or arrests were reported during the day. Republican leaders spoke out ahead of the Saturday protests, blaming them for the current government shutdown and labeling them "hate America" rallies. In Cathedral City, California, protesters waved handmade signs and one carried a Trump-lookalike mannequin. In Fort Collins, Colorado, one man brought his horse to the protest. Several protesters in Fort Myers, Florida, were seen wearing inflatable costumes, as they lined the side of a highway.

What To Know About The Oct 18 No Kings Protests

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