A nationwide protest, known as ‘No Kings,’ was held across the US on October 18, 2025, to show dissatisfaction with the allegedly increasingly authoritarian style that has come with the Donald Trump administration. Over 2,700 events were reported, with a likely turnout of millions across the 50 states, including Washington DC.
Multiple large-scale urban protests happened in New York City, Washington D.C., as well as San Francisco, which saw thousands of citizens march. This was a varied crowd that protested, including but not limited to families, military veterans, college students, as well as protesters who had never been to a protest before. Organizers believed that the point of protesting was to spread a reminder that in America, there are no kings, which was a statement that addressed a belief that power was currently unchecked. They protested in regard to issues such as immigration enforcement, as well as other concerns that they believe were a disregard for democracy.
In just San Diego County, the local police expressed gratitude to more than 25,000 participants for a peaceful event with no arrests being made. In New York City, more than 100,000 participants were counted, with no arrests related to a protest being reported. Though most of the protests were peaceful, some local instances of unrest were reported. For example, near a federal immigration facility in Portland, federal agents fired tear gas in order to deter the crowd. Nevertheless, such cases remained isolated in relation to the scale of these nation-wide protests.
The No Kings movement’s supporters framed this day as a continuation of the first big demonstration held in June 2025, signaling a fast-growing concern about the direction of governance in the US. “Now, our task is to stay vigilant, stay united, and continue to push back,” the official No Kings website said.
