Nationwide 'No Kings' Protests Against Trump Erupt in Chaos and Record Turnout
For the third time, millions of Americans gathered coast to coast on Saturday for coordinated 'No Kings' demonstrations against President Donald Trump, with protests descending into chaos as police deployed tear gas against violent demonstrators hurling rocks. The rallies, driven by anger over Trump's immigration crackdown, rising costs, and the ongoing war in Iran, are expected to become the largest political protest in American history, according to organizers.
Violent Clashes and Police Response
On the West Coast, protesters reportedly hurled cement rocks at Department of Homeland Security agents, while others banged violently on the fence outside the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles. In footage shared on social media, DHS agents responded to the massive crowd with tear gas, sending people scrambling to cover their faces as smoke blanketed the scene.
Meanwhile, outside the Trump National Golf Course in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, a shouting match broke out between a 'No Kings' protester and a man wearing a shirt that read, 'DEPORT WHITE LIBERAL WOMEN.' The two men, mere inches apart, screamed at one another while others nearby tried to push the counter-protester back, shouting, 'Racist, go home!' About twenty seconds later, the counter-protester walked away, yelling into a megaphone: 'This guy is fighting for illegal aliens,' while the other man was escorted off.
Record-Breaking Turnout and National Scope
More than 3,300 rallies erupted across all 50 states, with organizers expecting the turnout to break records as the 'single largest nonviolent day of action' in US history. In June 2025, more than five million people attended No Kings demonstrations, swelling to seven million by October. A real-time headcount of this weekend's protests is nearly impossible to measure, but scenes of massive crowds have surfaced in major cities across Minnesota, California, Illinois, Washington DC, New York, and Florida, with more than 40 protests planned in the small state of Vermont alone.
Protesters flooded streets, suburbs, and small towns, waving signs on issues ranging from 'ICE Needs to Melt' to 'We Can't Afford the War or the Gas.' From New York City, a bustling metropolis of nearly 8.5 million, to the small eastern Idaho town of Driggs with fewer than 2,000 residents, people rallied nationwide—including in states Trump carried decisively in 2024.
Key Events and Celebrity Involvement
An estimated 200,000 people packed the Minnesota State Capitol, marking the 'largest protest in Minnesota history,' where Governor Tim Walz welcomed Bruce Springsteen and a roster of big-name speakers and performers, including Bernie Sanders, Joan Baez, Maggie Rogers, and Jane Fonda. Springsteen performed his anti-ICE anthem, 'Streets of Minneapolis,' and declared, 'This past winter, federal troops brought death and terror to the streets of Minneapolis. Well, they picked the wrong city.'
On the West Coast, rallies in downtown Los Angeles drew hundreds of thousands across multiple counties, with a giant blimp of Trump as a diaper-wearing baby bobbing above the crowds. In the Big Apple, protesters marched south from Midtown carrying anti-ICE, anti-Trump, and anti-Iran signs, alongside a large sign depicting the Declaration of Independence.
Public Sentiment and Political Backlash
Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, described Trump as the nation's 'Bully in Chief,' stating, 'They want us all to be afraid to protest. They want us to be afraid that there's nothing we can do to stop them. But you know what? They are wrong—dead wrong.' A White House spokesperson dismissed the protests as 'Trump Derangement Therapy Sessions,' insisting the only people who care are 'reporters getting paid.'
Trump’s approval ratings are at new lows, with even parts of his MAGA base expressing frustration over the war with Iran, which has killed 13 US service members and sent gas prices surging. Many protesters, like 62-year-old Rossana Foote, voiced concerns about the 'degradation of human beings and the destruction of our democracy under this Trump tyranny,' calling his administration 'inhumane.'
International Demonstrations and Broader Impact
Demonstrations have also broken out overseas, with protesters in Paris, London, Lisbon, Rome, Madrid, Amsterdam, Sydney, and Tokyo carrying signs labeling Trump a 'fascist' and a 'war criminal,' while calling for his impeachment and removal from office. The protests are funded by around 500 communist and socialist groups, bringing in an estimated $3 billion a year, according to reports.
As Mitch Campbell, 72, told The New York Times during a protest in Oxford, Mississippi, holding a sign that read, 'No Kings Except Elvis,' 'It's reached a point now where—how can people ignore this? They're just trampling on the Constitution. Whether it's gas, or the tariffs, or cost of living, or whatever, I mean, we're just not paying attention.' The nationwide movement underscores a growing discontent with Trump's policies and leadership style, fueling what may be a historic wave of political activism.
