Millions To Join Second Wave Of ‘No Kings’ Anti-Trump Protests: Top Points

Last Updated:October 18, 2025, 17:16 IST

More than 2,500 rallies are set to take place across all 50 states on Saturday, roughly 450 more than the previous round

US President Donald Trump. (Image: X/@WhiteHouse)

As President Donald Trump celebrated his birthday in Washington, DC this June, honoured with a military parade, a 21-gun salute, and supporters singing “Happy Birthday",  an estimated five million Americans marched nationwide to protest his administration’s policies.

Now, with the government shutdown dragging on and Trump’s renewed call to deploy National Guard troops in US cities, organisers of the “No Kings" movement are preparing for a second, larger wave of demonstrations.

More than 2,500 rallies are set to take place across all 50 states on Saturday, roughly 450 more than the previous round. Organisers say the protests aim to challenge what they call the president’s growing “authoritarian" tendencies.

Republican leaders have denounced the planned demonstrations, with House Speaker Mike Johnson claiming, without evidence, that the rallies have worsened the shutdown. Some GOP figures have gone further, branding the gatherings “anti-American."

‘No King’ Movement: Top Points

• The “No Kings" movement has expanded since its first round of rallies in June, which followed the turbulent start to Trump’s second term marked by a wave of controversial executive actions.
• Early orders targeted birthright citizenship, transgender protections, student activism, and diversity programmes in federal agencies, sparking nationwide criticism.
• Tensions escalated after Trump federalised the California National Guard in Los Angeles, overriding Gov. Gavin Newsom’s objections, a move legal scholars called an unprecedented assertion of presidential power.
• Critics say ICE raids have intensified across several states, driven by pressure to meet arrest quotas, often prompting local resistance and community protests.
• The White House has reportedly pushed the Justice Department to investigate political rivals, including James Comey and Letitia James, while suing The New York Times and temporarily suspending Jimmy Kimmel Live! over critical coverage.
• The administration has attempted to send troops into Democrat-led cities such as Washington, DC, Chicago, Memphis, and Portland, drawing legal challenges and fierce opposition from local authorities.
• GOP leaders — including Sen. Roger Marshall — have cautioned that “professional agitators" might join the protests, while Speaker Johnson suggested potential involvement of “pro-Hamas" and “Antifa" groups.
• Protest leaders insist demonstrations will remain peaceful, describing them as a “counterpoint to the administration’s show of force."
• Concerns over escalation: Some Republican officials predict the government could again deploy troops if protests grow.

News world Millions To Join Second Wave Of ‘No Kings’ Anti-Trump Protests: Top Points

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