Photo: NBC News
On Saturday, October 18, thousands of people across all 50 U.S. states took to the streets under the slogan “No Kings” to protest against the policies of President Donald Trump.
Bloomberg, CNN, and other media outlets reported on the demonstrations.
These mass protests follow a similar “No Kings” event on June 14, which coincided with a military parade Trump held to mark the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army and his birthday.
This time, protesters aimed to voice public opposition to Trump’s decisions to deploy National Guard troops to U.S. cities, conduct immigration raids, and cut foreign aid and domestic programs previously approved by Democrats.
The first demonstrations began at 10 a.m. Eastern Time in Atlanta, New York, Washington D.C., and Chicago. Ahead of the protests, the Department of Homeland Security sent a memo to regional law enforcement agencies warning of potential outbreaks of violence at some events. However, the document emphasized that there was no intelligence indicating “specific and credible threats.”
Authorities were advised to monitor participants who had previously used peaceful protests to carry out violent actions, as well as individuals showing signs of “paramilitary preparation.”
The Indivisible Project, which coordinates the “No Kings” movement, stressed that the demonstrations are entirely peaceful. Their goal is to showcase “a broad coalition of Americans of all ages and backgrounds” united in defense of democratic values and opposition to what they call the administration’s “authoritarian course.”
Among Republicans, the protests drew sharp criticism. House Speaker Mike Johnson claimed the protests allegedly “contributed to the government shutdown.”
President Trump told Fox Business that Democrats are “deliberately dragging out government funding negotiations because of these protests.”
“Some say they want to delay it because of the king… I’m not a king… They call me a king. I’m not,” the U.S. president said.
