Trump tries to shrug off No Kings protests — but is hit by astounding turnout
While turnout numbers have not yet been confirmed, organizers expected more than 9 million people to attend the events nationwide.
This is the third large-scale No Kings protest. Organizers said the first two events held in June and October of last year drew roughly 5 million and 7 million people, respectively.
Millions of American across all 50 states on Saturday rallied against President Donald Trump and his authoritarian agenda during nationwide No Kings protests.
The flagship No Kings rally in Minneapolis, which organizers Indivisible estimated drew over 200,000 demonstrators, featured speeches from Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and US Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), and actress Jane Fonda, as well as a special performance from rock icon Bruce Springsteen, who performed “Streets of Minneapolis,” a song he wrote in tribute of slain protesters Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
The rally in Minneapolis was one of more than 3,300 No Kings events across the US, and aerial video footage showed massive crowds gathered for demonstrations in cities including Washington, DC, New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, and San Diego.
In San Francisco, thousands of anti-Trump activists gathered on a local beach to form a human sign that read, “Trump must go now! No ICE, no wars, no lies, no kings.”
Across the nation, early indications were that 9 million people were expected to attend. That number isn't yet final. Last year's two No Kings protests have 5 million and 7 million, respectively, ABC reported.
No Kings rallies weren’t just held in major US cities. In a series of social media posts, Indivisible co-founder Leah Greenberg collected photos and videos of No Kings events in communities including Arvada, Colorado, Madison, New Jersey, and St. Augustine, Florida, as well as international No Kings events held in London and Madrid.
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said of the protests, “The only people who care about these Trump Derangement Therapy Sessions are the reporters who are paid to cover them.”