NEW YORK – Americans all across the country, from large cities to small towns, took to the streets Saturday to make their voices heard, and to reject President Donald Trump and his policies.
More than 2,700 rallies were planned in all 50 states as demonstrators marched to make clear that there are no kings in America. The protests come as Trump has deployed National Guard troops and immigration agents to cities including Chicago and Washington, D.C.
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Organizers for the event said that nearly 7 million Americans around the country attended ― two million more than the first “No Kings” protest in June.
“With more than 2,700 lawful and peaceful protests across all 50 states, today’s mobilization was 14 times larger than both of President Trump’s presidential inaugurations combined, marking a historic moment of unity and resistance,” a statement from ‘No Kings’ organizers said. “From rural communities to major metropolitan centers, the message was clear: America will not be ruled by fear, force, or one man’s power grab.”
Thousands of demonstrators showed up in New York City’s Times Square and at the National Mall in Washington. There were more than 300,000 demonstrators in New York City alone, organizers said.
Thousands of protesters fill Times Square during a “No Kings” protest Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025, in New York. AP Photo/Olga Fedorova
A woman at the New York protest named Beth, who did not want to share her last name, said she came from New Hampshire with her daughter and granddaughter. She held a sign that said she was a “proud antifa member.”
“My father fought in World War II and he was wounded in Belgium,” Beth told HuffPost. “And so I’m an antifa member, because they were fighting fascists.”
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Ariel Fernandez said he’s a history teacher.
“What I tell my students all the time is democracy is a verb,” Fernandez said. “You do it. So I’m here to do it.”
Next to Fernandez, a man dressed in an inflatable flying squirrel costume declined to give his name.
“I was going to get a frog, but the frogs were a little expensive,” he said.
The New York Police Department said in a statement that there were “zero protest-related arrests” during Saturday’s demonstration.
Demonstrators rallied in New York City on Saturday to make their voices heard and protest against President Donald Trump. Sara Boboltz / HuffPost
In Boston and Chicago, aerial footage captured the massive scale of the protests.
Republican lawmakers spent the last week blasting the planned protests. On Wednesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) fearmongered by saying that the events would be filled with the “pro-Hamas wing” of the Democratic party.
“We call it the ‘hate America’ rally that will happen Saturday,” Johnson said at a news conference with other House GOP leaders. “Let’s see who shows up for that. I bet you you’ll see Hamas supporters, I bet you’ll see antifa types, I bet you’ll see the Marxists on full display, the people who don’t want to stand and defend the foundational truths of this republic.”
In D.C. on Saturday, HuffPost captured hundreds of demonstrators loudly chanting “USA! USA!” outside the National Mall.
Republican lawmakers spent the week prior to the protests decrying them as “hate” rallies. TIMOTHY A.CLARY via Getty Images
Following Johnson’s comments, organizers for the “No Kings” rallies said Friday that the number of people who signed up to attend a “No Kings” protest had more than doubled.
“Organizers have seen a spike in RSVPs since Speaker Johnson and Republicans have mischaracterized the ‘No King’ rallies, seeing more than double the amount since Oct. 10,” said Britt Jacovich, a spokesperson for MoveOn, one of the progressive groups helping to organize the demonstrations.
RSVPs to “No Kings” demonstrations spiked after GOP leaders started condemning and mischaracterizing them. Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images
On Monday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy questioned who was funding the protests.
“It begs the question, who’s funding it?” he asked Maria Bartiromo on Fox Business Network’s “Mornings with Maria.”
More than 200 organizations signed on as partners for the demonstrations. Some of those partners include the American Civil Liberties Union, Democracy Forward, Enough of Gun Violence and the League of Conservation Voters.
A demonstrator in D.C. holds a box labeled “Classified Epstein Files,” a reference to President Donald Trump’s refusal to release files related to the late sex trafficker. Jennifer Bendery / HuffPost
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) said he planned to deploy National Guard troops to Austin for the demonstrations.
“Violence and destruction will never be tolerated in Texas,” Abbott said in a statement Thursday.
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Thousands of protesters still showed up in Austin on Saturday, where they enjoyed food trucks and listened to speeches and music. Event organizer Sophia Mirto told Fox 7 Austin she expected there to be between 20,000 and 30,000 demonstrators.
Ahead of protests in California, the Los Angeles Police Department filed an emergency motion asking a judge to lift an injunction that restricts the use of force against the press.
Millions of people were expected to join “No Kings” rallies. LAURE ANDRILLON/AFP via Getty Images
As massive crowds of Americans took to the streets Saturday, Trump fled to Florida to play golf, according to a White House pool report.
“There were no demonstrations visible from the windows of the press van,” the pool report added.
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Trump previously said on Fox Business that he is “not a king.”
“They’re referring to me as a king. I’m not a king,” Trump told Fox Business’ Maria Bartiromo in an interview clip released Friday.
That same night, Trump reportedly served $1 million-a-plate dinner at his Mar-a-Lago club and residence.
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