When millions of protesters took to the streets in June to celebrate “The Day Without Kings”—portraying President Trump as a wannabe monarch intent on upsetting American democratic norms—it was still fairly early in his administration.
Immigration raids were just beginning in Los Angeles, and Trump sent military troops to the city to quell protests.
But four months later, many Americans feel Trump's threats and norm-breaking actions have only become more intense as protesters prepare to take part in more than 2,700 “No Kings” demonstrations planned across the country Saturday.
During this period, the Trump administration intensified immigration raids in Los Angeles and Chicago and sent National Guard troops to Washington, DC. She has also pressured universities to comply with his agenda or lose funding, fired government officials he deems insufficiently loyal, and launched an aggressive crackdown on political opponents.
“We're seeing an escalation, right?,” said Hunter Dunn, a spokesman for 50501, one of the No Kings coalition's main organizing partners. “We're seeing ICE's mass deportation program accelerate and become even more aggressive than it was before. What happened in Los Angeles is now happening in Memphis, D.C., Chicago.”
But the second No Kings protest poses a number of existential questions for organizers trying to organize a sustainable protest movement. What's the most effective way to challenge Trump? How can you make noise without playing into the hands of the president?
The resumption of a massive series of demonstrations on Saturday under the slogan “No Thrones. No Crowns. No Kings” will highlight leftist concerns that the Trump administration is using authoritarian tactics and undermining American democracy. But it will also include a broader range of issues, including rising prices and a rollback of environmental protections.
For Dunn, a 22-year-old organizer in Los Angeles County who is part of a coalition of thousands of groups, the threat posed by Trump goes beyond immigration. Trump, he noted, has used the Federal Communications Commission to try to silence broadcasters he doesn't like, leveled “false” charges against protesters and demonstrators outside ICE facilities and signed a so-called “big, beautiful bill” that Dunn said siphoned trillions of dollars from average Americans to billionaires who supported the Trump regime.
“We have seen the Trump administration repeatedly try, and fail, to undermine the foundations of democracy and thereby increase the threat level,” Dunn said.
The June 14 event inspired more than five million people to rally against Trump. One test will be whether they can increase that number on Saturday.
In both Los Angeles and Chicago, Trump tried to use the protests – many of which were peaceful – to argue that the streets were unsafe and needed military troops. Trump opposed the basic premise of the protest in interview with Fox Friday news.
“They call me king,” he said. “I'm not a king.”
The protesters are also facing increased attacks from Trump allies on the right, some of whom have called their demonstrations un-American.
“We're calling this a hate-to-America rally,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said at a news conference Wednesday. “Let's see who gets in on this. I bet you'll see Hamas supporters, I bet you'll see Antifa types, I bet you'll see Marxists on full display, people who don't want to stand up and defend the fundamental truths of this republic.”
Organizers expect a broad and diverse group of Americans to take part in Saturday's “No Kings” demonstrations. There are about 600 more events planned than the 2,100 demonstrations that took place in June, and slightly more people have registered, although the organization is not encouraging registration.
David S. Meyer, a sociology professor at the University of California, Irvine, who studies social movements, said people's opinions of the Trump administration haven't changed much since June. Rather, he argued, people felt a higher level of urgency about the dangers of the Trump administration.
“What has increased is the willingness of people to take more action, to do something,” he said. “I think there is a thirst for action.”
Meyer said he was surprised to see key GOP leaders joining Trump in promoting the idea that No Kings is un-American.
“There are plenty of presidents who have faced opposition to their policies,” Meyer said. “It's part of what America is. And usually presidents say, 'I have to represent everyone and do what I think is best for the country.' And I understand that there are other Americans who disagree with me.”
In an effort to broaden the scope of No Kings, Meyer said, organizers are appealing to Americans frustrated by rising costs of living, erosion of environmental protections, sweeping reforms of federal agencies and government shutdowns due to looming health care cuts. These questions, Meyer argued, are related to the theme of American democracy.
“Trump doesn’t consult with people who disagree with him … and the people around him, by design, are clearly chosen for their loyalty rather than their specific competencies,” Meyer said. “The No Kings organizers' strategy is to provide a kind of big, all-encompassing bucket in which all the grievances can be put and so that people with all sorts of problems can emerge.”
Another reason “No Kings” touches on so many issues, Dunn said, is as a response to the Republican tactic that former Trump White House chief strategist Steve Bannon called “zone flooding” — overwhelming the public with a barrage of information, disinformation and controversy.
“The Republican strategy is to make the economy worse for everyone, to make the cost of living worse for the average American … to try to weaken the American people and make it harder for them to fight the abuses of the current administration,” Dunn said. “That's why we're on all these fronts, because we have to meet them on every front that they use to harm the American people.”
The goal of No Kings goes beyond simply bringing Americans to the streets in solidarity against Trump. They want to connect people who are upset and disappointed with the Trump administration with local organizing groups.
“Being involved in these groups and making personal connections and joining them will have a much greater impact over the next few days, the next few weeks, the next few months, the next few years than just one day of protest,” Dunn said.
Going forward, Dunn said, one of the key questions facing the Trump resistance movement is how to pressure leading Democratic elected officials to join them.
While lawmakers such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Bernie Sanders and Chris Van Hollen have done much to oppose the Trump administration, he said he wanted to put more pressure on mainstream Democrats across the country.
“How do we get support from a party that is considered to be in opposition?”
Dunn said he was not worried about the prospect of violence on Saturday when millions of people take to the streets. He noted that the rallies and demonstrations that took place as part of the June demonstrations were overwhelmingly peaceful. Organizers are focusing on de-escalation and protest safety, engaging community and religious leaders and training tens of thousands of volunteers across the country in de-escalation techniques. He ridiculed the idea that extremists could hijack any demonstration.
“The biggest security threat at every protest I've ever been to, unless law enforcement is involved, is always dehydration and heat exhaustion,” Dunn said.
Olivia Negron, 73, an organizer with Studio City Rising who has been protesting in this Los Angeles area every weekend since April, said she is alarmed not only by the president's rhetoric but also by the Trump administration's actions against immigrants through the courts and on the streets.
“The president doesn't know what it means to be an American,” said Negron, who is Hispanic and the child of a U.S. Navy officer. “The American dream is about inclusion and making sure immigrants are welcome in the United States.”
Negron, who opposed the Vietnam War, said she believes people in power have robbed her of what it means to be an American and made it difficult to fly the American flag. But she said she hopes the Trump administration's actions after the final “No Kings” day will encourage more people to protest.
“We need to turn the ship of state around and steer this democracy in the right direction,” Negron said. “Absolutely more inclusion, more equity, more diversity. Diversity is our strength and empathy is our superpower.”
