Large crowds of protesters marched and rallied in cities across the U.S. Saturday for “ No Kings ” demonstrations decrying what participants see as the government’s swift drift into authoritarianism under President Donald Trump.
People carrying signs with slogans such as “Nothing is more patriotic than protesting” or “Resist Fascism” packed into New York City’s Times Square and rallied by the thousands in parks in Boston, Atlanta and Chicago. Demonstrators marched through Washington and downtown Los Angeles and picketed outside capitols in several Republican-led states, a courthouse in Billings, Montana, and at hundreds of smaller public spaces.
Trump’s Republican Party disparaged the demonstrations as “Hate America” rallies, but in many places the events looked more like a street party. There were marching bands, huge banners with the U.S. Constitution’s “We The People” preamble that people could sign, and demonstrators wearing inflatable costumes, particularly frogs, which have emerged as a sign of resistance in Portland, Oregon.
It was the third mass mobilization since Trump’s return to the White House and came against the backdrop of a government shutdown that not only has closed federal programs and services but is testing the core balance of power, as an aggressive executive confronts Congress and the courts in ways that protest organizers warn are a slide toward authoritarianism.
President Trump spent the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida.
“They say they’re referring to me as a king. I’m not a king,” the president said in a Fox News interview that aired early Friday, before he departed for a $1 million-per-plate MAGA Inc. fundraiser at his club.
Thousands of demonstrators take part in the No Kings protest against President Donald Trump’s authoritarian policies in Oakland, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. The march began at Wilma Chan Park and ended at the Lake Merritt amphitheater, where Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee, Congresswoman Lateefah Simon, and other community members delivered speeches. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee speaks before thousands of demonstrators during the No Kings protest against President Donald Trump’s authoritarian policies at Wilma Chan Park in Oakland, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. The march began at Wilma Chan Park and ended at the Lake Merritt amphitheater. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
A protester dressed as a duck dances during a No Kings protest at St. James Park in downtown San Jose, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
A protester dressed as a skeleton holds up a sign during a No Kings protest at St. James Park in downtown San Jose, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
A protester holds up a sign during a No Kings protest in downtown San Jose, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
Lorie Newman, left, and Andy Newman, of Oakland, wear inflatable costumes as they participate in the No Kings protest against President Donald Trump’s authoritarian policies in Oakland, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. The march began at Wilma Chan Park and ended at the Lake Merritt amphitheater, where Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee, Congresswoman Lateefah Simon, and other community members delivered speeches. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group
TOPSHOT – Demonstrators dressed as the Statue of Liberty and Darth Vader dance as they protest the Trump administration during the “No Kings” national rally in Denver, Colorado on Oct. 18, 2025. From New York to San Francisco, millions of Americans are expected to hit the streets to voice their anger over President Donald Trump’s policies at nationwide “No Kings” protests. (Photo by Jason Connolly / AFP) (Photo by JASON CONNOLLY/AFP via Getty Images) ***BESTPIX***
People gather along a waterfront park during a “No Kings” protest in Portland, Ore., on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
Protestors march in the second “No Kings” protest on Oct. 18, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. Organizers expect millions to participate in cities and towns across the nation for the second “No Kings” protest to denounce the Trump administration. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) ***BESTPIX***
People protest as part of the No Kings Rallies on Oct. 18, 2025 on Oct. 18, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images for No Kings)
Demonstrators line the sidewalk along Dodge Street during a “No Kings” protest at Turner Park in Omaha, Neb., on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. (Matthew Mueller/Omaha World-Herald via AP)
Protesters crossing the First Street bridge are reflected in the sunglasses of a protester watching the crowd go by in downtown Austin during the “No Kings” rally on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. (Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman via AP)
Protesters march through downtown San Francisco as part of the nationwide “No Kings” demonstrations on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Terry Chea)
Thousands of protesters fill Times Square during a “No Kings” protest Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Olga Fedorova)
People gather during a “No Kings” protest Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Protestors march past Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago during the second “No Kings” protest on Oct. 18, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. Organizers expect millions to participate in cities and towns across the nation for the second “No Kings” protest to denounce the Trump administration. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) ***BESTPIX***
People protest as part of the No Kings Rallies on Oct. 18, 2025 on Oct. 18, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images for No Kings)
Police on horseback disperse a crowd of protesters, during a “No Kings” protest Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Demonstrators wearing inflatable bald eagle costumes gather in Kiener Plaza during the “No Kings” protest in St. Louis, with the Gateway Arch in the background, on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. (David Carson/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP)
A protester dressed as President Donald Trump in chains and a prison jumpsuit looks at another holding a sign referencing the Epstein files as people take part in a “No Kings” protest Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Demonstrators in inflatable costumes rally on Pennsylvania Avenue during a No Kings protest in Washington, Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Demonstrators carry a signed banner representing the U.S. Constitution as they march to the national Mall during a No Kings protest in Washington, Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
100 year-old Joan Collie listens to a speech with other protesters during the “No Kings” protest on Oct. 18, 2025 in Portland, Oregon. Organizers expect millions to participate in cities and towns across the nation for the second “No Kings” protest to denounce the Trump administration. (Photo by Mathieu Lewis-Rolland/Getty Images)
TOPSHOT – Protesters rally during the “No Kings” national day of protest in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Oct. 18, 2025. From New York to San Francisco, millions of Americans are expected to hit the streets to voice their anger over President Donald Trump’s policies at nationwide “No Kings” protests. (Photo by Kerem YUCEL / AFP) (Photo by KEREM YUCEL/AFP via Getty Images) ***BESTPIX***
A protester holds an American Flag during the No Kings Rally on Oct. 18, 2025 in Bozeman, Montana. (Photo by Janie Osborne/Getty Images for No Kings)
