--- title: 'No Kings' Protest: Questions Answered About Oct. 18 Events description: Millions are expected to attend anti-Trump 'No Kings' protests on Oct. 18 in all 50 states, Europe, Canada and Mexico. Here's what to know canonical: https://time.com/7325683/no-kings-protests-oct-18/ author: Nik Popli article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2025-10-14T21:49:35.000Z article:modified_time: 2025-10-20T19:59:13.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: Millions Expected to Attend 'No Kings' Protest on Oct. 18. og:description: Here's what to know about the Oct. 18 protests, which are expected to draw large crowds. og:url: https://time.com/7325683/no-kings-protests-oct-18/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9f147bf60f849872/6998cac883ec377eaac7b088/no-kings-october-protest-01.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2400 og:image:height: 1350 og:image:alt: no-kings-october-protest-01 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Millions Expected to Attend 'No Kings' Protest on Oct. 18. twitter:description: Here's what to know about the Oct. 18 protests, which are expected to draw large crowds. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9f147bf60f849872/6998cac883ec377eaac7b088/no-kings-october-protest-01.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Millions Expected to Rally Across U.S. in ‘No Kings Day’ Protests Against Trump > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters.  by [Nik Popli](https://time.com/author/nik-popli/)  ## Nik Popli Staff Writer Updated: Oct 20, 2025 7:59 PM UTCPublished: Oct 14, 2025 9:49 PM UTC  Demonstrators take part in a protest against the Trump administration during the "No Kings" national rally in downtown Los Angeles June 14, 2025. Demonstrators take part in a protest against the Trump administration during the "No Kings" national rally in downtown Los Angeles June 14, 2025. Ringo Chiu—AFP/Getty Images  by [Nik Popli](https://time.com/author/nik-popli/)  ## Nik Popli Staff Writer Updated: Oct 20, 2025 7:59 PM UTCPublished: Oct 14, 2025 9:49 PM UTC Four months ago, more than five million Americans gathered in small towns and major cities across the country to denounce what they described as President Donald Trump’s expansion of executive power. The coordinated [“No Kings” protests](https://time.com/7293347/trump-military-parade-no-kings-photos/) became one of the [largest](https://time.com/7294323/trumps-military-parade-took-over-washington-as-anti-trump-no-kings-protests-dominated-everywhere-else/) single-day demonstrations in U.S. history—and the biggest since Trump returned to the White House for a second term. Now, organizers are preparing for a second “No Kings” day on Oct. 18, with marches and rallies planned in more than 2,500 locations nationwide—including the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The movement, organized by Indivisible and a broad coalition of labor unions and activist networks, is positioning the October demonstrations as a referendum on what they call repeated “authoritarian power grabs” by the Trump Administration, including the recent deployment of federal forces in American cities and attempted censorship of late night TV hosts. Organizers have called on Americans to gather peacefully across the nation to “remind President Trump and his enablers: America has No Kings.” The protests are set to come amid a government shutdown that has left large parts of the federal workforce furloughed or fired. Several prominent Republicans in recent days have accused Democrats of prolonging the government shutdown to align with the upcoming “No Kings” protests. House Speaker Mike Johnson [said on Fox News](https://x.com/FoxNews/status/1976631367858258002) that Democrats wouldn’t vote to reopen the government until after Saturday’s “hate America rally” because “they can’t face their rabid base.” But protest leaders say the movement’s tone will be festive and peaceful, and that their protest is not a factor in the shutdown negotiations. “What this is about is everybody coming together and demonstrating—we don't do kings in America,” Indivisible’s executive director Ezra Levin [told MSNBC](https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/historic-turnout-expected-for-nationwide-no-kings-protests-against-trump-overreach-249824837632) last week. “They're going to have funny signs, there's going to be chanting, there's going to be dancing, there's going to be singing.” Here is what to know about the upcoming “No Kings” day protests. ## Why is it called ‘No Kings’ — and why are they protesting? Organizers say the “No Kings” name reflects a rejection of what they view as Trump’s attempts to consolidate power, defy courts, and erode democratic norms. The first protest in June was launched by the 50501 Movement, which stands for “50 states, 50 protests, one movement.” The protests are meant to symbolize “a day of defiance against Trump’s authoritarianism, billionaire-first politics, and the militarization of our cities." “On October 18, millions of us are rising again to show the world: America has no kings, and the power belongs to the people,” reads a statement on the group’s website. “President Trump has openly said he wants a third term and is already acting like a monarch—seizing control of D.C., threatening other cities, and using federal forces against his own people,” the statement continues. “But the American people don’t bow to kings. Together, we will peacefully mobilize, yet again, in huge numbers to reject this corruption and abuse of power—it’s in our DNA as a country.” The movement was born out of frustration with Trump’s policies—from the gutting of the federal workforce and programs to sweeping immigration enforcement raids. Many groups involved, including Indivisible and the American Federation of Government Employees, say the current shutdown has only added urgency. “Shutting down the government is another authoritarian power grab by this administration,” AFGE said in a [statement](https://www.afge.org/article/frustrated-feds-to-join-no-kings-protests-against-administrations-actions/), urging its 820,000 federal members to join the marches. Actor Robert De Niro also called on Americans to take part in the upcoming No Kings Day. “The original No Kings protest was 250 years ago,” De Niro said in a video shared on [the Indivisible Project’s Instagram page](https://www.instagram.com/reel/DPmDYiIkfHh/). “Americans decided they didn’t want to live under the rule of King George III. They declared their independence and fought a bloody war for democracy.” “We’ve had two and a half centuries of democracy since then, often challenging, sometimes messy, always essential,” the actor continued. “And we fought in two world wars to preserve it. Now we have a would-be king who wants to take it away, King Donald I. F‑‑‑ that!” ## Where will the protests happen? Organizers say roughly 2,500 protests are planned in every U.S. state, Canada, Mexico, and Europe, and that nationwide turnout could surpass the June demonstrations. The [Washington, D.C](https://www.mobilize.us/nokings/event/838822/) protest, set for outside the U.S. Capitol building, is considered the flagship rally and will feature speeches from Senators Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Chris Murphy of Connecticut, as well as members of various progressive advocacy organizations including the Human Rights Campaign, the ACLU, and Free DC. A “No Kings” protest did not take place in the nation’s capital in June due to [Trump’s military parade](https://time.com/7294323/trumps-military-parade-took-over-washington-as-anti-trump-no-kings-protests-dominated-everywhere-else/) being scheduled for the same day. It’s unclear if the National Guard, which has been deployed to D.C. by Trump to decrease crime, will be on hand for the event.  A young protester carries a combination Mexican and U.S. flag during a "No Kings" protest in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday, June 14, 2025. Richard Vogel—AP ## What happened at the June protests—and were they peaceful? The first “No Kings” protests, held June 14 to counter Trump’s 79th birthday and a military parade celebrating the Army’s 250th anniversary, were the largest coordinated demonstrations of his presidency. Millions marched in hundreds of cities under banners reading “No Thrones, No Crowns, No Kings.” While organizers deliberately avoided holding a protest in Washington, rallies in Philadelphia, Seattle, Austin, and Los Angeles drew enormous crowds. Most rallies diminished by the afternoon. **Read more:** [_Scenes From Trump’s Military Parade and the ‘No Kings’ Protests Opposing It_](https://time.com/7293347/trump-military-parade-no-kings-photos/) The day was largely peaceful with few arrests nationwide, though police clashed with demonstrators in Los Angeles and Portland after the event ended, and a shooting in Salt Lake City left one bystander critically injured. ## What are Republicans saying about the protests? Ahead of the protests, Trump Administration officials and other Republicans have suggested that “No Kings” is part of a Democratic conspiracy to block an end to the government shutdown, rather than an organic movement. Speaker Johnson last week said that he believes Democratic leaders were unwilling to reopen the government until after the rally because “they can’t face their rabid base.” “The theory we have right now—they have a hate America rally that's scheduled for October 18 on the National Mall,” Johnson said. “It's all the pro-Hamas wing and antifa people; they are all coming out." Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy echoed that message in an [interview on Fox News](https://x.com/SecDuffy/status/1977729131967099358), baselessly accusing the “No Kings” protests of being organized by Antifa, a loose network of militant antifascists that the Trump Administration recently labeled a “domestic terrorist organization.” “This is part of Antifa, paid protesters, it begs the question who’s funding it?” Duffy said Monday. “Democrats want to wait for a big rally of a No Kings protest when the bottom line is, ‘who’s running the show in the Senate? Chuck Schumer’s not running the show. The No Kings protesters or organizers are running the show.” Schumer, the Senate Democratic leader, rejected the assertion that the shutdown was tied to the “No Kings” protests. “I don't know where he comes up with that,” he told reporters last week of those claims. “I've never heard that argument.” But several Republicans have continued to refer to the upcoming protests as a “Hate America” rally. “These guys are playing to the most radical, small, and violent base in the country. You’ll see them on Saturday on the Mall. They just do not love this country,” House GOP Whip Tom Emmer said Tuesday. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise added that Schumer was “throwing a temper tantrum” to “appease the most radical elements of his base.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7325683/no-kings-protests-oct-18/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7325683/no-kings-protests-oct-18/"},"headline":"Millions Expected to Rally Across U.S. in ‘No Kings Day’ Protests Against Trump","datePublished":"2025-10-14T21:49:35.000Z","dateModified":"2025-10-20T19:59:13.000Z","description":"Here's what to know about the Oct. 18 protests","url":"https://time.com/7325683/no-kings-protests-oct-18/","keywords":["democrats","Explainer","News Desk"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9f147bf60f849872/6998cac883ec377eaac7b088/no-kings-october-protest-01.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Nik Popli","jobTitle":"Staff Writer","url":"https://time.com/author/nik-popli/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9f147bf60f849872/6998cac883ec377eaac7b088/no-kings-october-protest-01.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"no-kings-october-protest-01","caption":"No Kings","creditText":"Ringo Chiu—AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/democrats/","name":"democrats"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/7325683/no-kings-protests-oct-18/","name":"Millions Expected to Rally Across U.S. in ‘No Kings Day’ Protests Against Trump"}}]}] ```