In thousands of locations across the country and even some across the world, millions are expected to gather in protest of what they see as President Donald Trump’s “authoritarian” policies.
There was already one similar protest by the same group on June 14 – Flag Day, Trump’s birthday and this year, a military parade in Washington, D.C., was held in honor of the U.S. Army’s 250th birthday.
In partnership with more than 100 organizations including the ACLU, Black Voters Matter, Greenpeace and others, the ‘No Kings’ movement says it gathers in “defense of democracy” and against Trump’s “authoritarian overreach.”
The June event’s organizers reported that millions had attended and independent reporting from data journalist G. Elliott Morris provided an early estimate of between 4 and 6 million, rivaling the largest single-day protest in recent American history.
Participation on Saturday, Oct. 18, may exceed that of the June protest. In June, there were No Kings events at more than 2,100 locations; Saturday’s protest is set to take place in over 2,500 locations.
Saturday is “your opportunity to be involved in what could be the largest single day of protest in American history!” reads an email from a No Kings event organizer.
Lawmakers and politicians have already begun talking about the protest. Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has characterized it as a “hate America” rally, which he thinks will feature members of Antifa, the “pro-Hamas crowd” and Marxists. Johnson and Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn., have both suggested that Democrats are waiting until after the protest to make serious efforts to reopen the government.
No Kings issued a statement in response.
“Speaker Johnson is running out of excuses for keeping the government shut down. Instead of reopening the government, preserving affordable healthcare, or lowering costs for working families, he’s attacking millions of Americans who are peacefully coming together to say that America belongs to its people, not to kings,” the coalition wrote. “We’ll see everyone on October 18.”
No Kings emphasizes non-violence and de-escalation on its website and in its communications. The theme for Saturday is “patriotic” and participants are encouraged to wear patriotic garb and emphasize what they support as much as what they oppose.
“The strongest messages say what we are FOR rather than what we are against,” reads one event email. “We have worked with Indivisible and local police to make these events joyful, family friendly, and peaceful.”
