More than 2,600 rallies are planned in cities large and small, organized by hundreds of coalition partners.
Protesters gathered in several U.S. cities for “No Kings” demonstrations against President Donald Trump’s immigration, education and security policies, with organizers saying they expected more than 2,600 events across the country.
Saturday’s rally is the third mass mobilization since Trump’s return to the White House and takes place against the backdrop of a government shutdown that has not only shut down federal programs and services but is also testing the balance of power as an aggressive executive takes on Congress and the courts in a way that organizers say constitutes a slide toward American authoritarianism.
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The rallies began outside the United States, with a few hundred demonstrators gathering outside the American embassy in London and hundreds more in Madrid and Barcelona.
On Saturday morning in Northern Virginia, many protesters marched on overpasses crossing roads leading to Washington, DC.
Many protesters are particularly angered by attacks on their motivations for taking to the streets. In Bethesda, Maryland, someone held up a sign saying, “Nothing is more patriotic than protesting.” »
Trump himself is far from Washington, at his home in Mar-a-Lago, Florida.
“They say they consider me a king. I’m not a king,” Trump said in an interview broadcast Friday on Fox News.
More than 2,600 rallies are planned for Saturday in cities large and small, organized by hundreds of coalition partners.
A growing opposition movement
While previous protests this year — against Elon Musk’s budget cuts in the spring and then to counter Trump’s military parade in June — drew crowds, organizers say this one is building a more unified opposition movement.
Prominent Democrats such as Senate Leader Chuck Schumer and independent Sen. Bernie Sanders are joining in what organizers see as an antidote to Trump’s actions, from the administration’s crackdown on free speech to its military raids on immigration.
“There is no greater threat to authoritarian rule than patriotic people power,” said Ezra Levin, co-founder of Indivisible, among the lead organizers.
Before noon, several thousand people had gathered in New York’s Times Square, chanting “Trump must go now.”
The American Civil Liberties Union said it has provided legal training to tens of thousands of people who will act as marshals during the various protests, and that those people have also been trained in de-escalation.
Republicans sought to portray participants in Saturday’s rallies as far removed from the mainstream of American politics and a major reason for the prolonged government shutdown, now in its 18th day.
From the White House to the Capitol, GOP leaders called protesters “communists” and “Marxists.”
They say Democratic leaders, including Schumer, are beholden to the far left and willing to keep the government shut down to appease liberal forces.
“I encourage you to watch – we call it the Hate America rally – which will take place on Saturday,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson.
“Let’s see who runs for this,” Johnson said, listing groups including “antifa types,” people who “hate capitalism” and “Marxists on full display.”
In a Facebook post, former presidential candidate Sanders said, “This is a rally for the love of America.”
Dana Fisher, a professor at American University in Washington, D.C. and author of several books on American activism, predicts that Saturday could see the largest turnout for protests in modern U.S. history — she expects more than 3 million people to participate, based on registrations and attendance at June’s events.
“The primary purpose of this day of action is to create a sense of collective identity among all people who feel persecuted or anxious because of the Trump administration and its policies,” Fisher said. “It won’t change Trump’s policies. But it could embolden elected officials at all levels who oppose Trump.”
