by Linley Mueller and Leigh Wingfeld
In June 2025, people across the U.S. and beyond took to the streets for what became known as the No Kings Protests. Organizers said these were made to show mass resistance against the authoritarian policies and corruption of Donald Trump’s second administration. The phrase “No Kings” quickly turned into a rallying cry, and internationally the same movement went by names like No Dictators or No Tyrants, depending on the country. The first big wave happened on June 14, 2025, which protestors dubbed “No Kings Day.” It wasn’t just any random date; it landed on both the U.S. Army’s 250th Anniversary Parade and Trump’s 79th birthday, two symbols of power that organizers wanted to challenge. The message was clear: democracy doesn’t need kings, and power shouldn’t belong to one man.
The turnout was huge! Organizers estimated over five million people participated across more than 2,100 cities and towns, from Philly to Honolulu and even across the U.S. territories like Puerto Rico and Guam. There were solidarity protests in twenty countries, including Canada, Japan, and the U.K., where they swapped the slogan to “No Tyrants” to avoid confusion with anti-monarchy movements. These protests were organized by “Indivisible,” a grassroots political movement that advocates for collective action against Trump’s presidential agenda, as well as a coalition of more than 200 progressive groups, including the American Federation of Teachers and the ACLU. The main goal was to call out democratic backsliding and Trump’s increasingly fascist tendencies. The name “No Kings” came from Trump’s own words, as he had often joked about being treated “like a king,” and his administration had leaned into that imagery online, especially during and after the protests.
The June demonstrations built on smaller “No Kings” actions earlier in the year, like the Presidents Day protests in February and another round in April. They also came in the middle of other anti-Trump movements, including protests against mass deportations, which had already led to major clashes in cities like Los Angeles. Of course, Trump didn’t take kindly to the movement. He told reporters, “I don’t feel like a king,” before warning that protesters who showed up in D.C. would be met with “very big force.” Even with the threats, the protests spread globally through groups like Indivisible Abroad and Democrats Abroad, who organized events for Americans living overseas. In places with monarchies, the messaging shifted slightly to, “We reject authoritarianism. We reject fear. We reject tyrants.” By the end of the day, data journalist G. Elliott Morris estimated that between 4 and 6 million people had turned out across the country—that’s about 1.5% of the U.S. population. This is one of the largest coordinated protest movements in American history other than the Black Lives Matter movement.
Another chapter of the “No Kings” protests was opened on October 18th, with an estimated 7 million attendees across 2700 cities, according to CNN. Furthermore, these protests were predominantly peaceful, with the protests in Los Angeles “resembling a block party.” Tensions over the federal government shutdown may have been a contributing factor to the large turnout at the event. Many families are concerned that they may not get their next paycheck or desperately needed food aid due to this government shutdown. With the shutdown approaching the one month mark, many families will face shortage in their SNAP benefits and Head Start funding, according to PBS News Hour.
A key aspect of the No Kings protests is their foundational ideals of community and democracy. People across many cultural and political boundaries are coming together to make a stand for everyone living in America and the fundamental values the American Constitution stands for. So, what started as a statement against one man as a self-appointed “king,” ended up reminding millions of people what democracy actually looks like: people showing up for each other.
Watch the Cento’s interview of No Kings protestors! https://www.instagram.com/reel/DRSsDHpjvd9/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==