As nationwide protests against U.S. President Donald Trump gear up for this Saturday, the landscape has evolved considerably over the past five months since the last No Kings demonstrations.
Indivisible, the activist group leading the charge, reports a staggering 3,100 events set to take place in all 50 states, with an anticipated turnout of over nine million participants. This marks the third installment of such events since Trump’s return to office in January 2025.
In a podcast interview for progressive magazine Mother Jones, former vice-president Al Gore, a Democrat, expressed his expectations for this upcoming protest, citing the exponential growth in attendance from the previous two events. He highlighted the significance of these demonstrations as a reflection of a renewed political resolve among the populace.
Organizers estimate nearly 2,500 events were slated for the previous nationwide ‘No Kings’ protest against the Trump administration, almost doubling the earlier numbers.
Additionally, sister protests are anticipated in several countries, predominantly in Europe, along with Mexico, Australia, and Canada. Notably, the No Kings website is actively seeking volunteers for events in Toronto and Halifax, with another event planned near the U.S. embassy in Ottawa.
In nations with constitutional monarchies, these protests are referred to as “No Tyrants.”
Trump’s response to previous No Kings rallies involved asserting his position by stating, “I’m not a king,” and dismissing the attendees as not representative of the American populace.
‘We’ll never forget what happened here’
There are compelling reasons to believe that the projected turnout for this protest is not mere hyperbole, given the series of significant developments under the Trump administration since last autumn.
During the previous demonstrations on Oct. 18, the government was in the midst of a historic 43-day partial shutdown. While the current shutdown is more limited, it has resulted in disruptions, particularly within the Transportation Security Administration, causing delays and inconveniences for travelers during a busy travel period.
The 2025 events also saw participants expressing discontent over the administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement measures, including widespread raids aimed at fulfilling Trump’s deportation objectives, and the contentious actions of ICE and Customs and Border Patrol agents during these operations.
Furthermore, recent incidents, such as the fatal shootings of American citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minnesota, following a federal operation targeting Somalian-American residents, have fueled public outrage. Good was killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer, and Pretti was shot multiple times by CBP officers.
Organizers have designated Minnesota as the focal point for this Saturday’s protest, with expectations of around 100,000 attendees converging on the state capitol complex in Saint Paul, surpassing the estimated 80,000 participants from last year.
Ezra Levin, co-founder of Indivisible, emphasized the choice of Minnesota due to the extreme actions witnessed from the Trump administration