This Saturday, “No Kings” rallies will take place across the United States, with more than 2,600 events planned, organizers say. That makes this iteration of the event the largest yet, which is really saying something. The first No Kings rallies, in June, were estimated to be among the largest single-day American protests in recorded history.
“It looks like 90% of the country is within half an hour of their local No Kings protest,” says co-organizer Leah Greenberg of Indivisible, a grassroots organization involved in the No Kings protests.
A plethora of organizing groups, nonprofits, and labor unions are behind the event, which has recently received targeted attention from the Trump administration and congressional Republicans. House Speaker Mike Johnson called it a “hate-America rally,” attended by “The people who don’t want to stand and defend the foundational truths of this republic,” Johnson said during a recent news conference, according to the Washington Post.
Organizers and supporters argue that these demonstrations are “quintessentially American” — protesting “authoritarian” and “lawless” actions by the Trump administration.
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In Chicago and Portland, OR, federal agents have used physical power against civilians, protesters, and journalists during demonstrations over the administration’s immigration crackdown. The first No Kings rallies occurred around the time of the National Guard’s deployment to Los Angeles in response to protests of ICE raids in the city, Greenberg says. As such, the action “directly and intentionally highlighted the attacks on immigrants, on Los Angeles and residents’ rights.”
