A huge wave of “No Kings” protests swept through small towns and big cities in America on Saturday, where crowds gathered to blast President Trump’s divisive policies, immigration and Customs Enforcement, the war on Iran and high gas and food prices.
Saturday’s protests were expected to draw millions of people across the country, including thousands at a downtown Los Angeles rally. More than 40 protests are planned in LA, Orange and Ventura counties, as part of the national “No Kings Day of Nonviolent Action.”
None of the organizers of the Kings Coalition could have hoped that caucuses in all 50 states would come together for the largest one-day protest in American history. They point to growing anger about the country’s direction, including deadly ICE shootings and military deployments in the Middle East, since the first “No Kings” protests were held last June.
On Saturday morning, hundreds gathered near the pool at Pasadena City College. The band rolled with a fascism-themed parody of Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues.” Protesters lined Colorado Boulevard, honking and yelling at passing cars. For many, the war on Iran was top of mind.
“Every time we protest, there’s something completely new, talking about the chaos of the Trump administration,” Cindy Campbell told The Times. “ICE raid last year, Epstein’s files a few months ago. Now, war.”
“This administration is not helping us. It’s working for the millionaires,” said Kent Miller, of Monrovia, who participated in the Pasadena protest. “War with Iran makes life difficult for working people.”
Miller pointed to Chevron advertising gas at $6.45 per gallon.
“Do you see?” he said.
National coordinators said there has been increased interest in smaller communities, including Republican areas, and higher-than-expected attendance during Saturday’s protests.
“I’m out here because I’m disgusted by what I’m seeing,” said Kersty Kinsey, a mother protesting near Beaufort, SC, City Hall. “People suffer, he plays golf, people suffer, he goes to other places to blow things up.”
In Beaufort, an antebellum town founded in 1711, about 3,000 people showed up – a significant increase from previous “No Kings” meetings, said Barb Nash, one of the coordinators. Among the moss-covered oak trees and blooming pink and white azaleas, a man in a purple Barney dinosaur costume held a sign that read: “Dino’s for Democracy.” A little girl handed out homemade “Resistance Cookies”.
Los Angeles organizers say they expect more than 100,000 people at local events, planned for Beverly Hills, Burbank, West Covina, West Hollywood and Thousand Oaks. One group organized a “Road Outrage” caravan to go through Mid City with flags waving “No War,” and “ICE Out of LA.” At the Torrance rally, cars honked, protesters waved flags, and a person in a green inflatable cow costume raised a large American flag.
The White House, in a statement on Saturday, dismissed the protests as a “Trump Derangement Therapy Session.”
Organizers said they were greatly encouraged by the increase in interest in rural communities who want to join the No Kings Coalition and hold protests.
Jaynie Parrish, founder of the Arizona Native Vote project, began planning a protest in her hometown of Kayenta, in the Navajo Nation of northern Arizona, earlier this week.
“My father, who is a [military] veteran and elder, they said: ‘We have to go,’ and I said, ‘OK,'” Parrish told The Times.
“Our people don’t always protest about things, but this was very important,” said Parrish. “Many of our families are feeling the impact right now of higher prices and cutbacks. Many of our health benefits are being cut … and our national sovereignty is being threatened.”
Upbeat Midwestern Midlands activists braved high winds to form a line of protesters that stretched nearly three blocks down Burlington Avenue in Hastings, Neb. Under a sparkling blue sky, one of the protesters, Drew Fausett, told The Times in a telephone interview that he is a registered Republican in a red district.
“My politics haven’t really changed — but the team around me has,” Fausett said. “It used to be that the two sides were two sides of the same coin, and they would work together – but that’s not the case anymore.”
He and his wife, Becky, have attended “No Kings” and other protests because “it’s the only way to show that people have different opinions,” he said. “People out here speak for their families and their neighbors.
Trump’s policies are hurting many in Nebraska — including farmers, said Debby Thompson, one of Hastings’ organizers.
“We want to encourage our representatives in Congress not to just focus on rubber whatever Trump wants because it hurts rural people and farmers,” said Thompson. “Taxes and huge increases in fertilizer prices are hitting farmers hard.”
The “No Kings” campaign emerged in June as an act of defiance on what would have been Trump’s 79th birthday. He wanted a military parade in Washington to mark his milestone, and anti-Trump protesters came out in force — an estimated 5 million people across the country — with a demonstration of their own. At the time, Trump’s second-term policies were taking center stage, including the consolidation of immigration raids, the deployment of the National Guard to LA in response to protests, and a major federal government shutdown.
A subsequent event in mid-October drew even larger crowds, with an estimated 7 million people protesting across the country.
Saturday’s event coincided with a drop in Trump’s approval ratings. A Reuters/Ipsos poll last week found 36% approving of Trump’s performance, marking the lowest level since he returned to office last year. In another Fox News poll released last week, 59% disapproved of his performance.
“Since the last ‘No Kings,’ we have seen high gas and grocery prices, all the while there is an illegal war in Iran,” said Sarah Parker, national organizer of the 50501 organization at a press conference Thursday. “We’ve seen our neighbors being killed – American citizens being killed.”
Widespread protests and candlelight vigils followed the January shooting deaths by ICE agents in Minneapolis of Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, and Alex Pretti, 37, an intensive care nurse.
“The defining story of this Saturday’s mobilization is not just how many people are protesting – but where they are protesting,” said Leah Greenberg, founder of Indivisible, during a press conference. He said two-thirds of RSVPs to national organizers come from outside of major urban centers.
The Los Angeles event was organized by the local chapter of 50501 (short for “50 protests, 50 states, one movement”) and other progressive groups, including the ACLU, the Civil Rights Campaign, Invisible Citizens and Public Citizen, as well as labor unions such as Unite Here Local 11 and the Service Workers International Union.
“There’s an unaffordability problem in this country — people can’t afford food or health care,” said Joseph Bryant, SEIU’s vice president, in a statement. “But this administration is focused on expanding their power, starting unnecessary wars that benefit billions, and targeting immigrants and citizens who dare to stand up for themselves.”
