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On Saturday (18 October), millions of Americans took to the streets across all 50 states in the country to protest against Donald Trump and his administration as part of the No Kings rallies.
Ahead of them taking place, Republicans attempted to smear the peaceful No Kings demonstrations by labelling them as “hate America” rallies and claiming that those attending were “pro-Hamas supporters” and “Antifa”.
But, the American people appear to have spoken by the sheer number of attendees – an estimated seven million across 2,700 events – despite what US president Trump would have you believe.
Responding to a reporter who asked him about the No Kings protests, Trump replied: “I think it's a joke. I looked at the people. They’re not representative of this country.”
He continued: “The demonstrations were very small, very ineffective. And the people were whacked out. When you look at those people, those are not representative of the people of our country.”
Trump even responded to the protests with a bizarre AI video that some critics dubbed 'disgusting'.
In Chicago, the line of protestors reportedly stretched two miles long as they filed into the city’s Grant Park.
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Along the route, many allegedly gave the middle finger as they passed Trump Tower and shouted, “Shame! Shame! Shame!”.
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Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson addressed the tens of thousands in the crowd. He said: “We are here to stand firm and stand committed that we will not bend, we will not bow, we will not cower, we will not submit. We do not want troops in our city.”
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Even in Montana – a state where people have voted for the Republican candidate in all but two presidential elections since 1952 – thousands of people took to the streets of the city of Bozeman to denounce Trump.
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Protestors, including veterans, lined Bozeman’s Main Street and held up signs opposing Trump and what they view as the decay of democracy.
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In Portland, a city that has unwittingly been at the centre of Trump's focus, thousands took to the streets to demonstrate.
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Many protesters wore costumes and held signs featuring frogs. It’s as the so-called Portland Frog became a symbol of the movement after a video circulated online appeared to show federal officers spraying pepper spray into the air vents of an anti-ICE protestor dressed in an inflatable frog suit.
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“It’s kind of hard to spin that narrative, calling us like terrorists and stuff, when we’re just out here in funny costumes dancing,” one demonstrator in Portland previously told CNN.
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Within Los Angeles alone, at least 10 separate No Kings rallies took place. They come after Trump sent the National Guard into the city in June as a heavy-handed response to protests against ICE raids on homes and businesses.
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Los Angeles Mayor, Karen Bass, told CNN: “We know he’s (President Trump) not a king, but we don’t want to see our democracy slide backwards into authoritarianism and that’s what the protests are about.”
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Pedro Pascal was among several Hollywood stars to attend and support No Kings protests, with others including Kerry Washington, Glenn Close, Jack Black, Jamie Lee Curtis and Spike Lee.
Why not read…
- Trump responds to 'No Kings' protests with most 'disgusting' AI video yet
- Trump sparks fury with his latest presidential pardon
- Eric Trump sparks Succession and Kendall Roy comparisons as he shares ‘sad’ anecdote
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