Hundreds of thousands of people demonstrated across the United States this Saturday to protest what they consider the authoritarian drift of Donald Trump's administration. The rallies, called under the slogan"No Kings," refer to the principle that the nation has no kings to subjugate it. The organizers seek to channel social discontent against the Republican president's policies, which was already visible in the movement's first event held last June.
This time, the largest protests have taken place in major cities across the country, such as New York, Chicago, Houston, Seattle, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia.
In Washington, DC, tens of thousands of people have gathered outside the United States Capitol, one of the largest protests in the city's memory. The image of a peaceful, almost festive protest, with participants in costume, carrying ingenious anti-Trump signs, and singing cheerful chants, contrasted sharply with the one that took place four years ago in the same place. Back then, a mob of Trump supporters attempted to storm the seat of American popular sovereignty out of discontent with the outcome of the election, which the Republican lost in November 2019.
Brian Lee, a retired high-ranking military officer in his 70s, holds a sign that reads, “My father didn’t fight in a B-52 over Europe for this.” Lee, who lives in York, Pennsylvania, explains that these times with Trump in power remind him of what happened in the 1930s. “It’s in all his speeches and reflects what happened in the 1930s, not only in Germany but also in Spain. It’s terrifying, and we have to stop it, because it hasn’t even been a year, and I’m terrified to think where we’ll be in another three.”
In Lee's view, a large portion of the population has become desensitized by Trump's"committing one atrocity after another." That's why he hopes this Saturday's demonstration will be "the first of many to begin to wake people up and launch a movement that can push him back."
The protests coincide with a partial government shutdown, the layoffs of thousands of federal workers, immigration raids, and the deployment of National Guard troops in several Democratic-run cities. Trump has also attempted to assert his power over the Federal Reserve, attacking its chairman and accusing one of its governors, without evidence, in an attempt to have her fired. He has lashed out at the media and journalists. He has sued critical newspapers and even restricted press access to the Pentagon.
In the nearly 300 days that Trump has been in power, his second term in the White House, he has demonstrated his determination to impose his political agenda without stopping at any obstacle. The Republican has threatened to withdraw federal funds from Democratic states and cities if they do not support him. The courts have emerged as the last barrier to Trump's power. But the Republican controls the Constitutional Court, which so far has upheld all of his decisions.
“We stand together to demand that our representatives take a stand against Trump’s executive abuses to limit his power and help us restore democracy before it’s too late,” said Hunter Dunn, spokesperson for the No Kings coalition.
Ezra, 44, who works in Washington with local NGOs, makes a similar point. He uses the fable of the frog in the pot to explain what's happening:"Trump is slowly turning up the heat on many things, and before we know it, we'll be boiling." While marching in Washington, he reflects that the demonstration should serve"to motivate people to keep fighting and ask their local representatives to do something to stop this."
The protests have spread to more than 2,600 cities across the country. Organizers have also held rallies in numerous smaller cities in each of the 50 states. Key Democratic Party leaders have participated in the protests.
The Washington campaign was led by Democratic Senators Bernie Sanders and Chris Murphy. The latter, a Senator from Connecticut, proclaimed: “Trump is implementing a detailed, step-by-step plan to try to destroy everything that protects our democracy: free speech, fair elections, an independent press, and the right to peaceful protest.” He added: “But the truth is, he hasn't won yet. The people still rule this country.”
The day served to inject some courage into progressives, who are struggling to find the tone or voice to confront Trump, and to demonstrate the strength of civil society in a highly polarized country where citizens are distancing themselves from politics.
Organizers explained that the protests aim to preserve the principles on which the United States was founded by resisting an authoritarian regime. This is a reference to the British monarch George III, known as the Mad King, who exercised power over the colonies in the 18th century, a period in which the United States gained independence.
The organizers have emphasized that the protests be peaceful and that demonstrators reject violence. In recent weeks, they have even organized de-escalation courses to provide training in peaceful protests. At the Washington demonstration, Craig, a 60-year-old man, wears a yellow vest and distributes signs with the slogan"No thrones, no crowns, no kings." He is volunteering to help with the organization."The United States is not a democracy right now," he asserts.
Trumpism has shown a virulent reaction. Republicans have called the rallies “a demonstration of hatred against the United States,” failing to understand that protests are legitimate in a democratic state. “I bet you'll see Hamas sympathizers, I bet you'll see Antifa members, I bet you'll see Marxists demonstrating, people who don't want to stand up and defend the fundamental truths of this republic,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said last week in an interview on the conservative Fox News channel. Even one of the more moderate members of Trump's cabinet, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, threatened: “You know, ‘without kings,’ there are no salaries. Without salaries, there is no government.”
Republicans have also blamed protesters for the federal government shutdown, which has been partially paralyzed for 18 days due to the lack of agreement between Republicans and Democrats on a budget extension. Trump is trying to take advantage of the situation to lay off thousands of federal workers and cut funding to Democratic-controlled institutions.
Sarah, a 40-year-old woman, attended the demonstration with her family. She walked with her husband and their two adorable little girls. Her husband is a federal employee affected by the government shutdown. “We have many reasons to be here. We're worried about what's happening. We have to keep fighting election after election and not give up. I'd like my daughters to grow up in a democracy, and that seems a little uncertain right now.”
On the rooftops of buildings along the streets where the Washington march passes, National Guard units stand guard with long-range weapons. Just a month ago, the president called together his military brass to ask them to be prepared for"an invasion from within" in the United States."We are under an invasion from within. It's no different than an external enemy, but more difficult, in many ways, because they don't wear uniforms," he told the generals.
During the demonstration in Washington, D.C., many signs were seen against ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and Trump's immigration policy. Trump's orders to intensify immigration enforcement in Chicago and Houston, among other places, with increasingly aggressive techniques from federal agents, have sparked several clashes.
It's not just Trump. His close team of collaborators has also issued disturbing messages. His Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, has been one of the most belligerent voices. He has restricted access to journalists covering the Pentagon, whom he considers"a threat to security" if they publish information without the approval of military authorities. Major US media outlets have rejected the pressure and have avoided signing the document with the new conditions for access to the Pentagon that Hegseth wants to impose.
Preserve power and perpetuate itself
Trump has flirted with running for a third term, something not contemplated by the Constitution. He has asked Republican governors to redraw electoral areas to favor Republicans in the midterm elections scheduled for next year.
Meanwhile, thousands of protesters gathered on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, next to the Peace Monument, a statue commemorating the fallen sailors of the Civil War, chanted in unison:"We are the majority, we are the majority."
