Washington. Millions of people gathered from coast to coast across the United States to participate in more than 2,600 demonstrations organized in all 50 states. These demonstrations were organized by the No Kings movement to denounce the authoritarianism of President Donald Trump's government and to reject the immigration, education, and security policies imposed by his administration. Allies of the White House leader described the protests as"manifestations of hatred" against the country."Nothing is more patriotic than protesting," read some signs displayed during the marches, which took place amid an 18-day government shutdown with no end in sight.

Around 7 million people participated in yesterday's day of protests, according to organizers, making it the largest single-day demonstration in recent U.S. history.

The previous major event was the first No to Kings demonstration last June, with 5 million attendees, according to its leaders. Another major event this century was the Women's March, which had between 3.3 and 5.6 million attendees in 2017 and was organized against Trump's misogynistic policies during his first administration, World Atlas reports on its website.

Official Response

“They refer to me as a king, (but) I'm not a king,” the US president retorted in an interview with the conservative outlet Fox News, before departing for a $1 million-a-plate MAGA fundraiser held at his Florida club, Mar-a-Lago.

However, yesterday Trump's war room published on its X account an image of the tycoon wearing a crown, in front of a chess board – on which he moves a piece – while holding a globe with his other hand.

The No to Kings movement is made up of hundreds of national and local activist organizations united in opposing what they see as President Trump's"monarchical" authoritarianism and asserting that power in the United States ultimately resides with the people.

Organizers include the American Civil Liberties Union, Indivisible, Move On, the American Federation of Teachers, and the Human Rights Campaign.

“There’s nothing more American than saying ‘we have no kings’ and exercising our right to peacefully protest,” said Leah Greenberg, co-founder of the group Indivisible.

Democratic socialist Senator Bernie Sanders, who led the demonstration in Washington, DC, addressed the crowd from a stage set up near the Capitol: “We are here because we love America.”

Sanders warned that the country “is in danger when we have a president who threatens to arrest or imprison political opponents who oppose him,” he stressed, citing the New York Attorney General and the California governor, who are being cornered by the White House.

He also criticized the militarization of cities, the persecution of immigrants, the harassment of universities, and the intimidation of the media.

Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who lost the 2016 presidential election to Trump, supported the protests, as did a number of celebrities. Oscar-winning actor Robert De Niro, a well-known critic of the White House leader, emphasized:"We are rising again this time, raising our voices nonviolently to declare: no to kings."

For his part, Senate Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer posted on X that “today’s marches are an affirmation of what America is. We are a democracy.”

Population in uncertainty

Nicole, one of the protesters in New York, told Fox News Digital that part of her motivation for attending was that she's recovering from cancer and that her husband was recently diagnosed with the same disease, and that she received a notice that her health insurance would be canceled."So we can randomly bomb boats off the coast of Venezuela, spend all this money terrorizing people (migrants), and deprive families of food and medical care... It's disgusting," she said.

Another marcher, Laura, commented that she is married to a woman and is worried that with Trump, her marriage “could become invalid… That’s fucking nonsense.”

Meanwhile, Republican Party leaders called Democrats and all those who support the Kingless movement"communists" and "Marxists."

The Republican governors of Texas and Virginia activated National Guard troops in their states in response to the massive demonstrations. However, police reported that the marches concluded without incident or arrests related to the event.

The protests took place as the government is paralyzed, with Republican lawmakers and the White House locked in a standoff with Democrats over a bill to agree on federal funding.