‘No Kings’ protests: Large crowds attend nationwide rallies against the Trump administration

“No Kings” demonstrations are taking place from coast to coast, with huge marches lining the streets in some cities while crowds gather elsewhere to sing, dance and listen to speeches. Attendees are rallying against President Donald Trump’s policies, the higher cost of living and the war with Iran.

More than 3,100 rallies are planned in major US cities, suburbs and small towns from Alabama to Wyoming — and even on the Arctic Circle. Protesters also marched in several European countries.

Last year, millions of people attended largely peaceful protests on two “No Kings” days. Since then, Trump’s nationwide immigration enforcement blitz has come and gone in several major cities. Now, Americans are facing skyrocketing gas prices and a flagging economy due to the war.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz takes the stage at state capitol

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is speaking at a “No Kings” rally at the state capitol in St. Paul.

The governor, who announced earlier this year he is not running for reelection, lauded the state as the “freest state in the nation.”

Trump supporters have heated exchanges with “No Kings” protesters in West Palm Beach

About 50 supporters of President Donald Trump engaged in verbal altercations with “No Kings” protesters in West Palm Beach, Florida.

The “No Kings” demonstrators were protesting against war, increasing food and gas prices, among other issues this afternoon.

At one point during the protest, CNN crew witnessed Trump supporters showing up and arguing with the protesters.

Some came with megaphones to broadcast pro-Trump messages. Some came with mics and flashed “Proud Boys” caps, T-shirts and flags. Police officers were seen deescalating the situation.

Protesters line the roads and march in Georgia small towns

The “No Kings” protests today are not just happening in major cities. People are gathering in small towns, too.

Protesters lined the road leading into Jekyll Island on the Georgia coast, waving American flags and holding signs.

“The majority of passersby honked, gave us thumbs-up and waved at us. It was a great time to spend with people in the community,” Monica Carter told CNN.

Not all responses were positive. They did get some negative feedback during the course of the protest, which lasted about two hours, Carter said.

“A few people held up their middle fingers toward us. We smiled and waved in response,” she said.

In Columbus, Georgia, a larger crowd marched through the streets. “No kings in America,” one sign said. A big banner read, “Together we are indivisible.”

“I grew up in a fascist country with a dictator who tore our country apart, and I married an American and came to this country after that,” one woman told CNN affiliate WTVM.

“Trump is a fascist,” she said.

Robert De Niro says Trump “must be stopped now” at New York “No Kings” event

Acclaimed actor Robert De Niro said he is “proud to stand” with the “No Kings” movement today and rallied against President Donald Trump at a news conference in New York.

“I support this movement 150%,” De Niro said.

He went on to call Trump “an existential threat to our freedoms and security.”

“He must be stopped and he must be stopped now,” De Niro said of the president.

De Niro went on to criticize “unnecessary wars” as well as Trump’s policies on health care, immigration and the economy.

“It’s time to say no to kings. It’s time to say no to Donald Trump,” he said.

Why one woman in an inflatable baby Trump costume says she’s protesting in Chicago

People starting to arrive at Grant Park in Chicago for a “No Kings” event are bringing energy — and props.

Scan across the lawn, and it’s not hard to spot an inflatable baby version of President Donald Trump holding a sign. Inside is Riz Hortega, an Ottawa, Illinois, resident.

She said she wants the president to “step down.” Hortega, who is Mexican, also said she believes ICE should be abolished.

“Mexicans have a place here. We’ve been here for a long time, we’ve proven that we’re hard workers and that’s all we’re here to do,” Hortega told CNN.

Later this afternoon, there is expected to be a lineup of speakers and a DJ to keep the crowd energized. The crowd will then walk through the city and past Trump Tower.

For Maria Isabel Trejo, this is her third “No Kings” protest. She said people in Chicago want to make a difference.

“The message is he is a bad guy, the president is a bad person. ICE is brutalizing immigrants, even American citizens,” Trejo said. She and her husband held signs that said, “impeach the felon” and “there are power in numbers.”

If the United States has money to start a war with Iran, Trejo said, “then why don’t we have enough money here to support the people, the American citizens?”

“We The People” banner raised by protesters at St. Paul rally

Several protesters encircle and hoist up a massive banner reading “We the People” at a “No Kings” rally at Saint Paul College in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Crowds gather and sing in St. Paul ahead of march

In St. Paul, Minnesota, crowds are gathering for a 1 p.m. rally.

Signs reading “No Kings, No Felons, No Trump” and “Resist” and Ukrainian and American flags were spotted among the crowd. There’s a huge sculpture of a bullhorn emblazoned with “No Kings.”

One demonstrator was seen in an inflatable dinosaur costume, a style that has become an emblem of anti-Trump and anti-ICE protests, holding a sign that reads, “I’m the only acceptable tyrant.”

The Twin Cities were the site of fierce protests earlier this year after federal immigration agents shot and killed Renee Good and Alex Pretti in two separate incidents.

Costumes, cowbells and puppets: Protesters march to National Mall

Carrying large banners and raising signs, a group of people marched from Arlington, Virginia, to the National Mall in Washington, DC, this morning.

They chanted to a steady drum beat as they walked. “No justice, no peace. No ICE in our streets,” one of the chants said. Other people were playing cowbells.

Some people were dressed up in regal costumes, presumably leaning into the “No Kings” theme of the demonstration.

When they got to the National Mall, people gave speeches and held up puppet heads of members of the Trump administration on long sticks.

“No Kings” demonstration in Philadelphia draws massive crowd

Aerial footage from CNN affiliate KYW captures the massive crowd of “No Kings” protesters marching through the streets of Philadelphia early Saturday afternoon.

Some of the more than 3,100 planned demonstrations, like in Philadelphia, have already started, with more expected to begin across the country as the day continues.

Principles of US democracy “are being tested,” New York attorney general says

New York Attorney General Letitia James said she and thousands of others set to participate in “No Kings” protests across the country today are fighting to protect democracy.

“We are a nation built on the rule of law, on checks and balances, and on the fundamental idea that power belongs to the people,” she said at a news conference today. “Right now, those principles are being tested.”

James, who has been in the crosshairs of President Donald Trump after bringing a civil fraud case against the president and the Trump Organization in 2022, said the “democracy is a project” that is defended by generations of Americans.

She said her job is to defend the Constitution and that she won’t back down.

“We will continue to fight because no one is above the law. Reverence of the law and due process is foundational to our democracy,” she said.

Producer and TV host Padma Lakshmi spoke out at the news conference against the Trump administration’s immigration actions in cities and said it is not representative of the American dream she believes in.

“Today, we reject fear. We insist on accountability, transparency in government and compassion in our elected leaders,” Lakshmi said. “True leadership is not about dominance, it’s about service. It’s about everyday people.”

“No tyrants”: Protesters in Madrid say Trump doesn’t care about the world

In Spain, people took to the historic streets to protest United States President Donald Trump ahead of a day of demonstrations across America.

“I’m here to protest against a man that doesn’t belong in the White House. He is completely and 100% unqualified. He cares nothing about America. He cares nothing about the American people. He cares nothing about the people of the world,” one man in Madrid told Reuters.

Another woman, wearing a Democrats Abroad shirt, told the news outlet that the protesters want to get across a message: “No tyrants, the power belongs to the people.”

Democrat who flipped Mar-a-Lago district attends “No Kings” protest near the estate

Democrat Emily Gregory — who made headlines for flipping a state House seat in a Palm Beach district that includes President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club — is taking part in the “No Kings” rally in her district near the estate.

“I’ve met at each (iteration of “No Kings”) many people for whom this is their first protest, first event,” Gregory said in an interview with MS NOW. “You know, they weren’t really engaged in the political process, and I think this is a great first step. But what I would love to see them do is to sign up on a candidate’s website or for a cause they believe in, and then do the work.”

Gregory singled out affordability, a key issue she ran her campaign on, as a motivator for protesters.

“The number one thing I heard talking to voters was, you know, kitchen-table issues,” Gregory said. “But second to that, we did hear a real fear of democracy in crisis, so I’m thrilled to be here and in support of the ‘No Kings’ rally and just democracy at large.”

Gregory’s win comes after Democrats last fall flipped more than 20 state legislative seats in special or regularly scheduled elections.

“No Kings” movement spreads to Europe

Crowds of people in Italy, France, Germany and Spain are demonstrating against US President Donald Trump. It comes on a day thousands of “No Kings” protests are planned in the United States.

Springsteen expected to perform at Minnesota “No Kings” rally today

Legendary songwriter and musician Bruce Springsteen told the Minnesota Star-Tribune that he will perform his protest anthem “Streets of Minneapolis” at the flagship “No Kings” event today.

The rally is expected to kick off this afternoon at the Minnesota State Capitol.

Springsteen’s song was released earlier this year in protest of federal immigration operations in Minneapolis.

“A city aflame fought fire and ICE beneath an occupier’s boots. King Trump’s private army from the DHS, guns belted to their coats, came to Minneapolis to enforce the law … or so their story goes,” the lyrics state.

Springsteen dedicated the song to the city’s residents and in Renee Good and Alex Pretti’s memory.

What “No Kings” protesters told CNN at past events

We spoke with attendees at “No Kings” demonstrations in June and October last year, where protesters from all walks of life shared grievances ranging from health care costs to President Donald Trump’s immigration policies and his expansion of executive power.

Here’s where some of the protests are happening today

Thousands of “No Kings” protests are happening today across the country, both in urban centers and rural areas.

Here’s a look at where some of them will be:

• Minneapolis
• Boston
• Washington, DC
• New York City
• Los Angeles
• Atlanta
• Chicago
• Seattle
• Seward, Alaska
• East Glacier Park, Montana
• Waverly, Iowa
• Washington, North Carolina
• Millersburg, Ohio
• Gloucester, Virginia
• Black River Falls, Wisconsin

What Trump has said about the protests

In the past, President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance have responded with mockery to the “No Kings” events.

Last fall, they both posted AI memes to social media depicting Trump in a crown. Trump shared a mocked-up vision of himself flying a fighter jet emblazoned with “KING TRUMP” appearing to dump raw sewage on protesters. In Vance’s social media post, prominent Democrats knelt as supplicants in a royal court before Trump.

The president also called October’s mass protests a “joke” and described them as “very small, very ineffective.” The people who took part were “whacked out,” Trump said.

“When you look at those people, those are not representative of the people of our country,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One the day after.

When asked about today’s “No Kings” events, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said on Thursday, “The only people who care about these Trump Derangement Therapy Sessions are the reporters who are paid to cover them.”

But organizers remain undeterred. “Each time we show up, we disrupt President Trump’s attempts to rule through repression and remind the country, and the world, that people power is our path to a truly free America,” the “No Kings” website says.

“It is not just some abstract protest. It is a movement that has seen numbers across racial lines and economic lines,” civil rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton said at a Thursday news conference. “We may not all agree on some issues, but we all agree that if we do not protect the right to vote and protect democracy, it doesn’t matter where we disagree, we will all be muted and ineffective.”

A suburban show of support is expected at today’s rallies

Two-thirds of the people who have RSVPed for today’s event live outside of major urban centers, up nearly 40% compared with the first “No Kings” event in June 2025, statistics provided by the organizers show.

Racial diversity and rising educational levels have resulted in the political axis shifting in many suburban communities.

“I’m seeing people from the PTA or the neighborhood who would have never joined a protest in the past, who are now asking how they can get involved,” Allison Posner, a 42-year-old mother from Maplewood, New Jersey, told The Associated Press.

“No Kings” organisers also said a significant number of protests are planned in GOP strongholds like Texas and Florida.

“Almost 50% of No Kings events are in either a red state or a battleground area for this year,” Eunic Epstein-Ortiz, who is with the No Kings Coalition, said at a news conference on Thursday.

Texas, Florida and Ohio each have over 100 events scheduled today, and states like Idaho, Wyoming and Utah have events in the double digits, according to the event organisers.

Meanwhile, one of the most far-flung demonstrations will be held today in the Alaskan community of Kotzebue.

Here are some of the key issues animating today’s protests

In the months between “No Kings” rallies, the backdrop of current events has changed — from National Guard deployments to immigration enforcement crackdowns and now the war with Iran.

But many issues remain the same, according to organisers.

“When I stood at the first ‘No Kings’ rally, we were fighting to protect democracy at home and against federal agents and troops that were deployed on American streets, against a government that was manufacturing a crisis to justify using its power against its own people. Today, we’re still fighting that same fight, but now that manufactured crisis has gone global,” said Naveed Shah, a US Army veteran and the political director of Common Defense.

“Our members will be turning out peacefully in the streets because they believe in a better future for this country, and they can’t sit by on the sidelines about what Trump and his administration are doing to our home,” said Katie Bethell, executive director of MoveOn.

“Let’s be clear, the Trump administration has become a threat to the American people at every level. They are waging violence at home and abroad.”

“Where’s the money for people struggling to afford their rent, groceries, gas, or health care?”

Americans, organisers said, are fed up with “constant chaos, and they’re ready to stand in solidarity against the Trump administration’s overreach.”

“That’s why millions of us are rising up from all walks of life, from rural communities to big cities at ‘No Kings,’” Bethell said.

Credit: CNN