Washington, October 19: The streets of America filled with defiance on Saturday. From the steps of the U.S. Capitol to small-town squares in red-state America, an estimated 7 million people turned out for what organizers are calling the largest single-day protest in modern U.S. history.
The “No Kings” movement—a reference to the founding principle that Americans bow to no monarch—drew crowds that dwarfed even the massive demonstrations in June. More than 2,700 separate rallies took place across all 50 states, transforming what started as scattered resistance into something resembling a genuine political force.
In Washington, Senator Bernie Sanders delivered one of the day’s most pointed speeches. “We’re here because we love America,” Sanders told the crowd gathered in front of the Capitol. “This moment is not just about one man’s greed, one man’s corruption, or one man’s contempt for the constitution.”
Sanders went further, naming names: “Yes, I’m talking about Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg and the other multi-billionaires who were sitting right behind Donald Trump when he was inaugurated—the very same billionaires who funded his campaign, who have bestowed gifts upon him, and who have seen huge increases in their wealth and power since Trump took office.”
Later, Sanders posted on X: “Thank you to the millions of Americans who turned out in small communities and big cities all over this country to say loudly and boldly: No more kings. In America, We the People will rule.”
What’s Driving the Anger
The protests didn’t emerge from nowhere. They’re happening against a perfect storm: a government shutdown now in its third week, Trump’s deployment of federal forces to Democratic-led cities, and what critics call an escalating assault on democratic institutions.
The ACLU and other civil rights groups have been particularly vocal about immigration enforcement tactics. ICE raids have intensified, and images of military-style operations in American cities have shocked even some moderate voters.
In Portland, tens of thousands gathered peacefully—a stark contrast to Republican warnings about violence. New York saw over 100,000 march through Times Square with zero arrests, according to NYPD. Chicago’s rally drew Illinois Governor JB Pritzker. Even in deep-red Birmingham, Alabama, more than 1,500 people showed up.
The Republican Response
House Speaker Mike Johnson hasn’t minced words. He’s repeatedly labeled the demonstrations as “Hate America” rallies. “You’re going to bring together the Marxists, the Socialists, the Antifa advocates, the anarchists and the pro-Hamas wing of the far-left Democrat Party,” Johnson told Fox News.
Trump himself seemed relatively unbothered when asked. “They’re saying they’re referring to me as a king. I’m not a king,” he told Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” in an interview airing tomorrow.
But the Republican strategy of dismissing protesters as fringe elements may be backfiring. A Thursday report from Harvard Kennedy School found that 2025 protests have reached deeper into Trump-voting areas than at almost any time during his first administration.
Numbers Game
While organizers claim 7 million participants, independent crowd-counting group Strength In Numbers estimates between 4.2 and 7.6 million people took part nationwide. Either way, if the organizers’ figures hold up, this would be the largest reported turnout for a one-day protest in U.S. history, second only to the first Earth Day in 1970, according to political science professor Jeremy Pressman of the University of Connecticut.
The scale is undeniable. Over 100,000 in New York. Tens of thousands in Portland. Massive crowds in Los Angeles, Boston, and Chicago. And importantly, substantial turnout in places like Birmingham, Billings, Montana, and hundreds of smaller communities where dissent feels more dangerous.
What’s Next
This was the second “No Kings” day—the first in June drew about 5 million people. The movement appears to be growing, not shrinking, despite or perhaps because of Republican attempts to intimidate protesters.
“What we are seeing from the Democrats is some spine,” said Ezra Levin, co-founder of Indivisible, one of the key organizing groups.
The protests come as Congress remains deadlocked over the government shutdown, with Democrats refusing to budge unless healthcare protections are restored. Federal workers are entering their third week without pay, and the political temperature keeps rising.
Whether Saturday’s massive turnout translates into political leverage remains to be seen. But millions of Americans just sent a message that’s hard to ignore: they’re not going anywhere.
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