Millions demonstrate against Trump in anti-Trump” No Kings” demonstrations demanding politics and expat rights in between sporadic clashes across the country.
On Saturday, hundreds of demonstrators marched through metropolises and small towns in protest of President Donald Trump, blaring anti-authoritarian chants combined with support for democracy and american rights, and packed into streets, parks, and plazas across the country.
Promoters of the” No Kings “demonstrations said thousands had marched in plenty of activities. While some governors in the United States had called for peaceful and vowed no compassion for murder, others mobilized the National Guard ahead of the protesters ‘ gathering.
Clashes were brief. But authorities in Los Angeles, where demonstrations over federal immigration enforcement attacks erupted a month earlier and sparked rallies across the country, used tear gas and crowd-control weapons to clear out demonstrators after the proper function ended. In addition, soldiers in Portland also shot tear gas and weapons to pelt a protesters out in front of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement creating well into the night.
And in Salt Lake City, Utah, officers were looking into a shooting that occurred during a march there and injured one man in critical condition. Three people were taken into captivity, including a man believed to be the gunman, who also suffered a gunshot wound, according to Police Chief Brian Redd.
Redd claimed that it was too early to determine whether the killing was politically motivated and whether those involved were aware of one another. The gunman appeared to be walking alongside the marching crowd, he continued. Video feeds showed protesters running for protection as shots rang out.
Huge, boisterous crowds chanted shoulder-to-shoulder in New York, Denver, Chicago, Austin, and Los Angeles, some of whom were” no kings “banners. Atlanta’s 5, 000-capacity event rapidly reached its height, with hundreds more gathering outside barriers to hear listeners in front of the state Capitol. Officials in Seattle estimated that more than 70, 000 people attended the city’s largest rally downtown, the Seattle Times reported.
Trump was present at a military parade in Washington that also happened to be Trump’s birthday to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Army. In northwest Washington’s Logan Circle, about 200 protesters gathered and chanted,” Trump must go now, before erupting in cheers.” A larger-than-life puppet of Trump— a caricature of the president wearing a crown and sitting on a golden toilet — was wheeled through the crowd.
In some locations, organizers distributed small American flags while others turned their flags around in a sign of distress. Mexican flags, which have become a fixture in the protests against immigration raids in Los Angeles, also made an appearance at some demonstrations on Saturday.
In Culpepper, Virginia, police said one person was struck by an SUV when a 21-year-old driver intentionally accelerated his SUV into the crowd as protesters were leaving a rally. The driver was accused of reckless driving.
The protests follow Trump’s order to send the National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles, where protesters stifled a freeway and set cars on fire. They came after the federal immigration enforcement raids that started last week.
” Today, across red states and blue, rural towns and major cities, Americans stood in peaceful unity and made it clear: we don’t do kings,” the No Kings Coalition said in a statement Saturday afternoon after many events had ended. Philadelphia
Thousands of people gathered downtown, where protesters waved small American flags and carried protest signs that read “fight oligarchy” and “deport the mini-Mussolinis.”
Karen Van Trieste, a 61-year-old nurse who drove up from Maryland, said she grew up in Philadelphia and wanted to be with a large group of people showing her support.
She said,” I just feel like we need to defend our democracy.” She expressed concern about the Trump administration’s staff cuts at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the state of immigrant communities, and Trump’s attempts to rule by executive order.
A woman wearing a foam Statue of Liberty crown brought a speaker system and led an anti-Trump sing-along, changing the words” young man “in the song” Y. M. C. A. ” to” con man.” to.”
C. C. Téllez, an immigrant from Bolivia who was present at the demonstration, said,” I am what the successful American dream looks like.” I’ve enjoyed great success here in the United States, and I’ve also contributed heavily to my community. And if there was room for me, I believe there is a way for everyone else to also belong in this place. Los Angeles
Thousands gathered in front of City Hall, waving signs and listening to a Native American drum circle before marching through the streets.
Most interactions were friendly, with demonstrators giving fist bumps or taking selfies as protesters passed National Guard troops or U.S. Marines stationed at various buildings. However, at the troops, others chanted” shame or go home.”
Amid signs reading” They fear us don’t back down California “and” We carry dreams not danger, “one demonstrator carried a 2-foot-tall (60-centimeter ) Trump pinata on a stick, with a crown on his head and sombrero hanging off his back. Another carried an enormous orange baby balloon filled with helium and decorated like Trump’s.
Protesters gathered a few blocks away from City Hall in front of the nearby federal detention facility, which is being guarded by a line of Marines and other law enforcement. It was the first time that the Marines, in combat gear and holding rifles, have appeared at a demonstration since they were deployed to city on Friday with the stated mission of defending federal property.
Peter Varadi, 54, claimed that he voted for Trump in November for “economic reasons.” He is protesting by waving a Mexican and United States-combined flag for the first time in his life.
” I voted for Donald Trump, and now I regret that, because he’s taken this fascism to a new level,” Varadi said”. It’s now Latinos. Next, who is it? It’s gays. After that, blacks. They are rushing in for everyone.
Even after the formal event ended, the downtown streets were packed with a jubilant crowd as people danced to salsa music and snacked on hot dogs and ice cream bought from vendors, many of whom are Latino immigrants. However, as police on horseback entered the crowd and struck some people with wood rods and batons as they cleared the street in front of the federal building, the previously calm demonstration turned violent. New York City
Marchers in the crowd that stretched for blocks along Fifth Avenue had diverse reasons for coming, including anger over Trump’s immigration policies, support for the Palestinian people and outrage over what they said was an erosion of free speech rights.
However, there were also patriotic symbols. Leah Griswold, 32, and Amber Laree, 59, who marched in suffragette-colored marches, distributed 250 American flags to attendees in the crowd.
” Our mothers who came out, fought for our rights, and now we’re fighting for future generations as well,” Griswold said.
While others slammed drums, some protesters held signs denouncing Trump.
Sean Kryston, 28, said,” We’re here because we’re concerned about the existential crisis of this country, the planet, and our species.” Minnesota
Gov. In response to the shootings of the Democratic state lawmakers, Tim Walz and law enforcement “recommended people not attending rallies.”
Dozens of events were canceled, but tens of thousands still turned out for demonstrations in Duluth, Rochester and St. Paul, which included a march to the state Capitol. Walsh canceled his scheduled appearance at the St. Paul event.
Authorities said the suspect had” No Kings” flyers in his car and writings mentioning the names of the victims as well as other lawmakers and officials, but they were unable to specify whether he had any other specific targets.
Seda Heng, 29, of Rochester, said she was heartbroken by the shootings, but still wanted to join the rally there”. These people are attempting to do everything possible for their communities, the state, and the country, Huang told the Minnesota Star-Tribune. North Carolina
Crowds cheered anti-Trump speakers in Charlotte’s First Ward Park before marching, chanting” No kings. No hats. We won’t make a bow.
Marchers stretched for blocks, led by a group of people holding a giant Mexican flag and bystanders cheering and clapping along the way.
After mass deportations and Trump’s deployment of the National Guard in Los Angeles, Jocelyn Abarca, a 21-year-old college student, said the protest was a chance to” speak for what’s right.”
She said,” If we don’t stop it now, it just keeps getting worse.”
Naomi Mena said she traveled an hour to demonstrate in Charlotte to represent her” friends and family who sadly can’t have a voice out in public now” to stay safe. Texas
Despite state police briefly closing down the building and the surrounding grounds after receiving a” credible threat” from Democratic state lawmakers who were scheduled to attend, a rally at the Texas Capitol in Austin turned out as planned.
Dozens of state troopers swarmed through the grounds about four hours before the event, but the area was later opened and the rally started on time. The structure remained closed.
After a traffic stop in La Grange, Texas, about 65 miles ( 105 kilometers ) east of Austin, the Department of Public Safety later reported that “one person was taken into custody” in connection with the threats made against state lawmakers. State police did not detail the threat or immediately identify the person, but said there was no additional active threat. Mississippi
A Black Sabbath performance of” War Pigs” by Black Sabbath playing over a sound system on the state Capitol lawn in Jackson, a demonstration of hundreds of people.
” A lot of stuff that’s going on now is targeting people of color, and to see so many folks out here that aren’t black or brown fighting for the same causes that I’m here for, it makes me very emotional,” said Tony Cropper, who traveled from Tennessee to attend the protest.
Some people wore tinfoil crowns on top of their heads. Other people hung signs urging drivers to” Honk if you never text war plans.”
Melissa Johnson said she drove an hour-and-a-half to Jackson to protest because” we are losing the thread of democracy in our country. ” Portland
Earlier in the day, thousands of protesters dotted the streets of downtown Portland for a few blocks, waving signs as passing cars sped in their support. They marched around the city draped in American flags to the beat of drums and music.
A small group of demonstrators had crossed the river by late afternoon to protest in front of an ICE building where three people were detained on Wednesday night after starting a small fire against the building, according to police.
In an effort to elude the final protesters, federal immigration officers used tear gas, flash bangs, and rubber bullets. Some protesters threw water bottles back and tended to each other’s wounds. The police department stated on X that the incident had been declared a riot.
At least two people were detained and taken inside the federal immigration building.
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Originally sourced via trusted media partner. https://thegrio.com/2025/06/15/anti-trump-demonstrators-crowd-streets-parks-and-plazas-across-the-us-organizers-say-millions-came/
