When millions of protesters took to the streets in June to celebrate “Twelfth Day” (portraying President Trump as a would-be monarch determined to violate American democratic norms), it was still fairly early in his administration.
The immigration raids in Los Angeles were just beginning and Trump had deployed military troops to the city to quell protests.
But four months later, many Americans feel that Trump's threats and transgressive actions have grown more intense as protesters prepare to participate Saturday in more than 2,700 “No Kings” rallies scheduled across the country.
In that period, the Trump administration stepped up immigration raids in Los Angeles and Chicago and deployed National Guard troops to Washington, DC. He also pressured universities to meet his agenda or lose funding, fired government officials he deemed insufficiently loyal, and embarked on an aggressive campaign to prosecute political opponents.
“We're seeing an escalation, right?” said Hunter Dunn, spokesperson for 50501, one of the lead organizing partners of the “No Kings” coalition. “We are watching ICE's mass deportation program accelerate and become even more aggressive than it was. What happened in Los Angeles is now happening in Memphis, in DC, in Chicago.”
But the second “No Kings” protest raises some existential questions for organizers trying to mount a sustained protest movement. What is the most effective way to challenge Trump? And how to make noise without playing into the president's hands?
Saturday's revival of the massive series of demonstrations – organized around the slogan “No thrones. No crowns. No kings” – will express leftist concerns that the Trump administration is adopting authoritarian tactics and disintegrating American democracy. But it will also include a broader range of issues, including rising prices and reducing environmental protections.
For Dunn, a 22-year-old Los Angeles County organizer who is part of a coalition of thousands of groups, the threat Trump poses goes beyond immigration. Trump, he noted, had used the Federal Communications Commission to try to silence broadcasters he didn't like, filed “trumped-up” charges against demonstrators and demonstrators outside ICE facilities, and signed the so-called “big, beautiful bill” that Dunn said had funneled trillions of dollars from average Americans to billionaires who supported the Trump regime.
“We are watching the Trump administration repeatedly try, unsuccessfully, to shake the pillars of democracy and, in doing so, raise the threat level,” Dunn said.
The June 14 event inspired more than five million people to demonstrate against Trump. One test will be whether they can increase that number on Saturday.
In both Los Angeles and Chicago, Trump has tried to use the protests, many of them peaceful, to claim that the streets are unsafe and need military troops. Trump rejected the underlying premise of the protest in an interview with Fox News on Friday.
“They refer to me as king,” he said. “I am not a king.”
Protesters are also facing increasing attacks from Trump's right-wing allies, some of whom call their demonstrations un-American.
“We call it the 'hate America' rally,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said at a news conference Wednesday. “Let's see who shows up for that. I bet you'll see Hamas supporters, I bet you'll see Antifa guys, I bet you'll see the Marxists on full display, the people who don't want to stand up and defend the fundamental truths of this republic.”
Organizers hope a large and diverse group of Americans will attend Saturday's “No Kings” rallies. Some 600 more events are planned than the 2,100 demonstrations that took place in June and slightly more people have registered, although the organization advises against registration.
David S. Meyer, a sociology professor at UC 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 greater level of urgency about the danger of the Trump administration.
“What has increased is people's willingness to take more action, to do something,” he said. “I think there is a hunger for action.”
Meyer said he was surprised to see key Republican Party leaders align with Trump and push the idea that “No Kings” is un-American.
“There are many presidents who have faced protests against their policies,” Meyer said. “That's part of what America is about. 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 don't agree with me.'”
In an attempt to broaden the reach of “No Kings,” Meyer said, organizers are appealing to Americans angry about the rising cost of living, the destruction of environmental protections, sweeping reforms of federal agencies and the government shutdown over looming health care cuts. These questions, Meyer argued, are related to the issue of American democracy.
“Trump doesn't consult with people who disagree with him…and the people around him, and this is intentionally so, are chosen explicitly for their loyalty rather than their specific competencies,” Meyer said. “The strategy of the 'No Kings' organizers is to provide a sort of big, inclusive bucket for all complaints to fit in and for people to come forward with all sorts of different complaints.”
Another reason “No Kings” touches on so many issues, Dunn said, is in response to the Republican tactic – articulated by former Trump White House chief strategist Steve Bannon as “flooding the zone” – of overwhelming the public with a barrage of information, misinformation and controversy.
“The Republicans' 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 stand up to the abuses of this administration,” Dunn said. “That's why we stand up on all those fronts, because we have to stand up to them on every front that they're using to harm the American people.”
The goal of “No Kings” goes beyond simply rallying Americans in the streets in solidarity against Trump. They want to connect people who are angry and frustrated with the Trump administration with local organizing groups.
“Getting involved in those groups, making face-to-face connections and joining them will have a much bigger impact in the next few days, the next few weeks, the next few months, the next few years, than just one day of protest,” Dunn said.
Looking ahead, Dunn said, one of the key questions facing the Trump resistance movement is how to pressure top Democratic elected officials to get on board.
While lawmakers like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Bernie Sanders and Chris Van Hollen had done much to resist the Trump administration, he said, he wanted to put more pressure on traditional Democrats across the country.
“How do we get the support of what is supposed to be the opposition party?”
Dunn said he was not worried about the prospect of violence on Saturday when millions of people take to the streets. The rallies and demonstrations that took place during the June demonstrations were overwhelmingly peaceful, he noted. Organizers placed great emphasis on de-escalating tensions and securing protests, bringing in community and religious leaders and training tens of thousands of volunteers across the country to de-escalate tensions. He scoffed at the idea that extremists could hijack any of the protests.
“The biggest safety threat at every protest I've been to, unless law enforcement intervenes, is always dehydration and heat exhaustion,” Dunn said.
Olivia Negron, 73, a Studio City Rising organizer who has protested in that Los Angeles neighborhood every weekend since April, said she was 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's like to be an American,” said Negron, a Latina and the daughter of a U.S. Navy officer. “The American dream is about inclusion and ensuring that immigrants are welcome in the United States.”
Negron, who marched against the Vietnam War, said he felt people in power had taken away what it means to be an American and made it difficult to fly the American flag. But he said he was hopeful that the Trump administration's actions since the final “No Kings” day would prompt more people to protest.
“We need to turn the ship of state around and steer this democracy in the right direction,” Negrón said. “Absolutely more inclusion, more equity, more diversity. Diversity is our strength and empathy is our superpower.”
