THE GUARDIAN: Events scheduled in more than 2,700 towns and cities, aligning behind message that US is sliding into authoritarianism
Americans across all 50 states began marching in protests against the Trump administration on Saturday, aligning behind a message that the country is sliding into authoritarianism and there should be no kings in the US.
Millions of people have turned out for the No Kings protests, the second iteration of a coalition that marched in June in one of the largest days of protest in US history. Events are scheduled for more than 2,700 locations, from small towns to large cities, reflecting a decentralization in an anti-Donald Trump protest movement that focused on demonstrations in Washington DC during his first presidency.
The rallies are a turnaround from just six months ago, when Democrats seemed at a loss as to how to counter Republicans’ grip of the White House and both houses of Congress after stinging national election losses.
“What we are seeing from the Democrats is some spine,” Ezra Levin, a co-founder of Indivisible, a key organizing group, told the Associated Press. “The worst thing the Democrats could do right now is surrender.”
In Chicago, at Grant Park’s Butler Field, at least 10,000 people assembled, many with signs opposing federal immigration agents or mocking Trump. TV stations with feeds from protests warned viewers they could not be responsible for the language used in the signage.
Some of them said “Hands Off Chicago”, a rallying cry that began when the president first announced his intent to send the national guard into the city. Others read “Resist Fascism”, but many others used language unsuitable for broadcast.
The crowd erupted in chants of “Fuck Donald Trump” when Illinois representative Jonathan Jackson took the stage. » | Rachel Leingang and Edward Helmore | Saturday, October 18, 2025
Trump must be the most hated president ever! If I am not greatly mistaken, this presidency will not have a happy ending. Trump is likely to leave the White House in ignominy. — © Mark Alexander