Millions of people are expected to protest the Trump administration on Saturday as part of “No Kings” marches scheduled to take place in more than 2,500 cities across all 50 states.
Organizers of “No Kings” — not the name of a specific group, but rather a coalition of partners putting together this weekend’s protests — say that President Trump is acting more like a king than the leader of a democracy. The demonstrations come amid escalating conflict between federal law enforcement and protesters.
“His administration is sending masked agents into our streets, terrorizing our communities. They are targeting immigrant families, profiling, arresting and detaining people without warrants,” the “No Kings” website states of Trump’s nationwide immigration crackdown. “The president thinks his rule is absolute. But in America, we don’t have kings and we won’t back down against chaos, corruption, and cruelty.”
In June, more than 5 million people took to the streets nationwide for the first “No Kings” demonstrations, which coincided with the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary military parade in Washington, D.C., and Trump’s birthday.
Members of Trump’s Cabinet have accused Democrats of prolonging the government shutdown until after “No Kings” to show liberal groups that they are pushing back against the Trump administration, while several congressional Republicans, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, have called the protests “hate America” rallies.