“No Kings,” a movement established by a coalition of other organizations, has brought together millions of individuals, uniting them based on one shared goal; to prevent what they think to be the start of an authoritarian government.
The first major protest took place on June 14, 2025, uncoincidentally landing on President Trump’s 79th birthday. President Trump celebrated his birthday with a large-scale military parade, taking place in Washington, D.C.
The event successfully rallied up an estimated five million individuals across the country through over 2000 events located in a multitude of cities and towns. Participants of the movement later went on to label June 14 as “No Kings Day.”
Later, on Oct. 18, the movement’s second and most recent event brought together more than seven million individuals from all over the U.S.
Other countries such as Germany and London took it upon themselves to speak up as well, demonstrating the message had travelled far beyond just the U.S.
“Being here in Germany, especially considering the history that’s here, we have a unique perspective to look and say ‘that’s not okay,’” an attendee of a “No Kings” protest located in Berlin, Germany, said.
“I think it’s a joke. I looked at the people; they’re not representative of this country,” Trump said in response to the rallies during an interview with Fox News.
President Trump also responded with a supposed AI generated video in which he is wearing a crown, flying a fighter jet while dropping fecal matter onto protesters below. The video has circulated around various social media platforms, striking controversy from millions.
In agreement to President Trump’s remarks regarding the protest, House speaker Mike Johnson labeled the protest as a “hate America” event. Attendees of the protests, however, strongly disagree.
“We love America. We hate what they’re trying to do to America,” an attendee of a “No Kings” event held in Boston said to CBS Boston News.
“No Kings” has made it their goal to protest without the use of violence. Based on several police reports, protests throughout the country were said to be “largely peaceful” with officers in major cities such as D.C., San Diego, NYC and Chicago, cities that are notorious for crime, reporting that no arrests were made in relation to the protest.
The ultimate goal of this movement, according to the groups who organized the protest, is to choose democracy. Breaking the barrier between the political parties, ‘No Kings’ aims to achieve this for all of America, regardless of political party, through peaceful, non-violent protest.
