More than 7 million people turned out for the No Kings protests in about 2,700 cities and towns in all 50 U.S. states on October 18, 2025. These numbers are based on reports from the organizers and media across the country.

The main sponsors included the liberal group Indivisible, the American Civil Liberties Union, and hundreds of other national and local organizations.

Some of the largest actions took place in Chicago (250,000), Washington, D.C. (200,000), New York City (where estimates ranged between 100,000 and more than 300,000), and Boston (125,000). Thousands marched in many cities in the South, including Dallas and Houston, Texas; Atlanta, Georgia; Birmingham, Alabama; and Raleigh and Durham, North Carolina.

Most demonstrators appeared to be marching with groups of friends or family rather than in organized contingents. Even though many trade unions endorsed the protests and some called for a large turnout, labor contingents were rare.

Most reports indicate a sizeable percentage of demonstrators were young people, but people of all ages participated. The crowds were more or less diverse, depending on the demographics of each area.

The spirit was festive even as the protesters’ demands were dead serious — opposition to the Trump administration’s anti-immigrant raids and deportations, due process, free speech, voting rights, and other democratic rights, as well as the escalating deployments of the military in many U.S. cities. Economic demands, such as relief from the pain the White House tariffs and trade wars have begun to inflict on family farmers and other working people, an end to cutbacks on Medicaid and other healthcare programs, and opposition to layoffs of federal employees could also be heard.

Handmade signs were dominant. As the report from Albuquerque, New Mexico, published below put it, “People were chanting, singing, and drumming as they took to the streets, many dressed in animal costumes or costumes designed to match the theme of the signs the protesters had made. ‘The only monarch I want is a butterfly’ was the slogan on a sign carried by a woman wearing orange & black wings; ‘17 million people will lose healthcare’ read a banner held by a man dressed as the Grim Reaper.”  This was typical of the marches and rallies across the country.

The actions also included many expressions of patriotism. U.S. flags and “I love America but hate Trump” slogans were prevalent on many signs. Given the level of political consciousness in the United States today, that is not surprising.

Democratic Party politicians spoke at many rallies. But the protests were a far cry from the “hate America rally” or the brainchild of the left wing of the Democrats that became the refrain of the Republican Party about these actions.

As World-Outlook has explained, Trump’s second term has seriously posed the danger of the rise of fascism in the United States. Under these circumstances, the working class has an interest in forming a bloc with the middle classes and sections of the liberal bourgeoisie that oppose the danger of dictatorial rule, as long as working people can maintain their political independence. Forging and maintaining such political independence is, of course, easier said than done when there is no organized expression of working-class political action independent of the parties that represent the interests of the wealthy — the Democrats and the Republicans.

The No Kings protests have become one of the main ways that most working- and middle-class people have to express en masse their opposition to the anti-democratic actions of the Trump administration.

We publish below a selection of reports World-Outlook received from our readers.

— World-Outlook editors

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ILLINOIS

By Mike Taber

CHICAGO — The protest here drew 250,000 people, according to Indivisible Chicago, its main organizer. Opposition to the Trump administration’s authoritarianism and attacks on democratic rights was like other actions across the country.

But the dominant theme of the Chicago protest was unquestionably the resistance to the city’s invasion by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, which displays all the characteristics of a heavily armed right-wing paramilitary army. Much of this resistance has been spontaneous, but increasingly it is being organized through ICE monitoring squads, Rapid Response teams, defense of schools, and many other ways.

Several immigrants and representatives of immigrant-rights organizations spoke at the rally. Virtually all the speakers, including the president of the Chicago Federation of Labor and speakers from the Black and Latino communities, hailed this resistance, as did the elected officials who spoke — Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson, Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker, and several congresspeople.

A large percentage of the crowd were young people — in their teens and twenties — but the protest included people of all ages. Many Latinos were present, with numerous Mexican flags proudly waved, along with those of other Latin American countries. There were fewer African Americans, relatively speaking.

As elsewhere, the protest was marked by contradictions. Many participants — perhaps the majority — were attending their first demonstration ever. The confused political impulses were reflected in the number of U.S. flags that were being given out, and the various invocations to patriotism by speakers, greeted by chants of “USA, USA.” No mention was made by the speakers of the Trump administration’s international policies and actions, and few signs referred to them.

Nevertheless, outrage against the government and its policies marked the protest, with clear indications of radicalization by many young people, especially, under the impact of the attacks.

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WASHINGTON, D.C.

By Fritz Edler

WASHINGTON, D.C. — More than 200,000 people demonstrated here on October 18 for “No Kings,” according to organizers. The estimate seems right. Aerial photographs confirm it. There were many feeder marches into the main action. Marching continued for hours.

I’ve been to larger protests here in the past. But those were national demonstrations. It’s significant that so many local people came out from this area.

The crowd included an impressive number of young people, but people of all ages participated.

The Service Employees International Union (SEIU), American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), and other unions had called on their members to turn out in large numbers to protest — among other things — escalating layoffs of federal workers. But I did not see any organized labor contingents.

It seemed to me most people came as individuals, or groups of individuals, with handmade signs.

The action had a celebratory atmosphere, like that of a concert or a festival. It tended toward the satirical, mocking Trump, even as attendees protested the administration’s attacks on immigrants, due process, free speech, voting rights, democratic rights. A large contingent from a feeder march held up a huge copy of the U.S. Constitution.

Similar sentiments were expressed throughout the region. When I visited my elderly father in a retirement community in Maryland, near the U.S. capital, I saw many of the residents out on the street, some of them on wheelchairs or with their walkers, holding their own No Kings rally. It’s a sign of how deep the concern in the U.S. population for the anti-democratic direction of the Trump administration is.

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NEW YORK

By Linda Loew and Mark Satinoff

NEW YORK CITY — Thousands of workers joined a feeder march here organized by the AFL-CIO Central Labor Council, after assembling at Manhattan’s lower east side. They were slated to join the main No Kings march, which started at Times Square and headed down 7^th Avenue toward Union Square.

Both marches were officially “dispersed” at locations blocks away, however, possibly due to the sheer size of the crowds and no planned program or rally.

The main march included about 100,000 people, according to New York police estimates.

Others estimated a much larger turnout. On Substack, former New York Times columnist Paul Krugman wrote: “The march I joined was immense. G. Elliott Morris and the independent science newsroom Xylon estimate 320,000 people protested in New York.”

Active and retired workers, their family members and friends on the labor contingent engaged in nearly continuous chanting while carrying lots of homemade as well as union-printed signs.

Members of the Service Employees International Union Local 1199, United Federation of Teachers, United Auto Workers, Communication Workers of America, Professional Staff Congress/City University of New York, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Laborers International, and other unions were part of the crowd. Many of the union marchers were African American.

The NY-NJ Cuba Si Coalition promoted a street rally scheduled for Sunday, October 26, in Harlem to coincide with the annual vote at the United Nations General Assembly opposing the U.S. blockade of Cuba — a message warmly received by many demonstrators.

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MINNESOTA

By Bill Scheer

MINNEAPOLIS — Throngs of people filled the Commons Park around US Bank Stadium and surrounding streets for a rally and march downtown. The CBS local affiliate reported that 100,000 people participated. It was much larger and more youthful than the No Kings rally in June. U.S. Senator Tina Smith and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, both Democrats, were featured speakers.

The demonstration was festive and was greeted by cheers from on-lookers.  It took an hour and a half for the last marchers to depart from the assembly area. Homemade signs denounced Trump and his authoritarian assaults on democratic rights, free speech, due process, and voting rights. Signs denounced the ICE raids, with one chant capturing the mood: “No more Minnesota Nice, We Don’t Want Your Dirty ICE.”  Signs also denounced the anti-science assault on health care, proposed Medicare cuts, and the deepening economic inequality. Other signs linked Trump to Jeffery Epstein.

A smaller number of signs referenced other issues such as support for the Palestinian struggle for self-determination. One sign read “Hands off Venezuela.”  Another, “Save our Farms, Stop the Tariffs” urged Congress to act. The 26,000 soybean farmers in this state have been hard hit by Trump’s tariffs on China, and rural economies have suffered. Some signs highlighted administration efforts to dehumanize transgender people. One woman wore a sweatshirt reading “Pro-union, Pro-Choice,” but few references to ongoing attacks on abortion rights were visible. There was an occasional display of solidarity with Ukraine.

In the days leading up to the event, Republican Representative Tom Emmer of Minnesota’s 6th District denounced the protest as a “hate America rally,” calling it the work of “the terrorist wing” of the Democratic Party. In response, many marchers carried U.S. flags —identifying it with the ideals of the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the separation of church and state. There was no visible opposition or counter-protests. The state AFL-CIO organized security for the march, and there was almost no police presence.

Elsewhere in Minnesota, dozens of additional demonstrations took place. Reports indicated turnout ranging from 90 people in Cokato to 6,000 in Duluth and 5,000 in Fargo-Moorhead. In St. Cloud, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported hundreds of demonstrators lined both sides of Highway 23 near downtown. Union member Chad Claypool told the paper he found the turnout “amazing,” especially for a conservative-leaning area like Stearns County. “Tides are changing against authoritarianism,” he said.

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FLORIDA

By Rose Ana Berbeo

In the Tampa Bay metropolitan region, with a population of about 3.4 million, more than 90 protests took place on October 18.

ST. PETERSBURG — Several thousand people began gathering at about 9 a.m. here, lining blocks around a shopping center, Tyrone Square, in a festive atmosphere, with music and costumes. The great majority held handmade signs, U.S. flags, or rainbow flags. Passing motorists honked in support, waving signs or flags, some of them circling repeatedly and pumping fists in the air joyfully. Many people drove in loops with their cars in support of the rally, some of them giving water to demonstrators.

The most common theme of the signs was “No Kings,” but others included: “Fight fascism”; “Save democracy”; “Stop kidnapping immigrants”; “Protest is patriotic”; “Just an unpaid grandma fighting fascism”; “Proud Antifa family since 1941.”

Rachel Parker, a U.S. Army veteran, told the Florida Phoenix she’s working without pay as a veteran’s services representative at the Veterans Administration (VA) because of the government shutdown. “It’s not a protest of hate,” Parker said, referring to the GOP attacks on the No Kings protests. “We are just utilizing our First Amendment rights to talk about the things we have no control over. If Congress wants to abdicate all its responsibilities right now, then we’re going to have to do it for them.”

TAMPA — About 10,000 people rallied in front of City Hall here before 4 p.m. and then marched several blocks to a park for a demonstration that lasted until 7 p.m.

The crowd was very diverse. It included lots of young people — in their 20s or 30s — as well as African Americans, Latinos, Asians, other nationalities. Entire families with kids took part.

Several groups with banners participated, such as the Tampa Immigrant Rights Contingent and the Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society. Activists calling for the freedom of 16-year-old Palestinian American Mohamed Ibrahim, from Palm Harbor, Florida, who has been held in Israel’s Ofer prison since February, after being detained by Israeli soldiers for allegedly throwing rocks at them in the West Bank. His cousin, Sayfollah Musallet, was a 20-year-old Palestinian American beaten to death by Israeli settlers in July.

The demonstration was peaceful and very dynamic, with music, costumes, chanting, and many drivers honking in support. Popular chants included, “Hey, hey, ho, ho, Donald Trump has got to go,” and “Show me what democracy looks like, this is what democracy looks like.”

“Back in the day, people in the street stopped [the] Vietnam [war],” a man holding a No Kings sign told a local Fox News reporter. “Back in the day, people in the street got civil rights for individuals. Now, people in the street must take democracy back.”

Signs included, “Trumped up war in Venezuela is a land grab” and “They blame immigrants, so you won’t blame billionaires.”

There was a very light police presence, and few to no visible counter demonstrators.

Local media did report a counter protest by Trump supporters, who sailed several dozen boats in the Gulf, near Clearwater, flying pro-Trump flags.

By Pete Seidman

MIAMI — A large crowd bearing mostly handmade and very creative signs rallied at Torch of Friendship downtown here as part of the national No Kings Day demonstrations on October 18. Following a rally, protesters marched a few blocks to the proposed site for a Trump Presidential Library adjacent to the city’s Freedom Tower, named because the former newspaper office had served as a distribution point for benefits conferred on early waves of Cubans who came here after the 1959 Cuban revolution.

While organizers claimed 4,000 participants, my estimate of 1,500 would be more accurate. In any event, the crowd was double the size of the No Kings event here last June — making it the largest protest in Miami since the mass demonstrations against the police murder of George Floyd in May 2020.

Leading cheers of “USA, USA,” rally organizers echoed the themes prevalent at other No Kings events, that protesters represented the true values of America in contrast to Trump’s accelerating attacks on democratic rights.

The action was overwhelmingly peaceful. There was a notable absence of rightist counter protesters and police. One exception was the presence of former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio, who’d been sentenced to 22 years for his role in the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and then pardoned by Trump. Tarrio strolled provocatively through the crowd. No one took the bait.

South Florida demonstrations also took place in at least Hollywood, Ft. Lauderdale, Oakland Park, and West Palm Beach (where Trump was hosting a $1 million per plate MAGA fundraiser at his mansion).

The Miami Coalition to End the U.S. Blockade of Cuba had a table, as did the Democratic Socialists of America, the Party for Socialism and Liberation, and the Socialist Workers Party. Between these, 500 flyers were distributed for an eyewitness report back from Cuba scheduled for October 21. Many other organizations also had tables, all of which were surrounded by protesters throughout the day.

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NEW MEXICO

By Yvonne Hayes

ALBUQUERQUE — At least 25,000 people marched in downtown here, a significant jump from attendance at the local No Kings rally in June. Led by contingents from Indivisible Albuquerque and the Southwest Coalition for Palestine, the many colorful — and often humorous — hand-made signs focused on the Trump administration’s drive toward autocratic rule and on Trump himself.

The increase in raids around the country by ICE was also a theme repeated throughout the crowd. “I’ll drink my Margaritas warm; no ICE” and “The desert melts ICE” were just two of the signs. Most of the participants appeared to be marching with groups of friends and family rather than in organized contingents.

The spirit of the march was festive even as the protesters’ demands were dead serious; people were chanting, singing, and drumming as they took to the streets, many dressed in animal costumes or costumes designed to match the theme of the signs the protesters had made. “The only monarch I want is a butterfly” was the slogan on a sign carried by a woman wearing orange & black wings; “17 million people will lose healthcare” read a banner held by a man dressed as the Grim Reaper.

The Albuquerque march was just one of similar events held in about 30 cities and towns across New Mexico, including Santa Fe, Las Cruces, and Gallup. In Tijeras, a town of 465 residents, “hundreds” attended the local rally, according to KRWG Public Media.

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WASHINGTON STATE

By Pam Todd and Ruth Hayes

OLYMPIA — Thousands of people streamed onto the Capitol Campus here on Saturday afternoon. No crowd estimate was available, but it was much larger than the June No Kings demonstration attended by 5-7,000 people. And the crowd was visibly different from similar rallies that have taken place since Donald Trump’s inauguration in January. While older residents have made up the bulk of the participants before, there were visibly more younger adults, many with their children.

The Seattle Times reported that 70,000 demonstrators turned out in Seattle the same day. They began by rallying beneath the Space Needle and then marched through downtown.

By Eric Huffman

EVERETT — This is a blue-collar community 34 miles north of Seattle. It is home to a major Boeing plant, a port, and was the site of the Everett massacre in 1916. Several hundred to a 1,000 people gathered for the No Kings rally. Signs and speakers centered on the danger of fascism. The crowd was multigenerational from infants to elderly. There were no union signs. The only political presence from the left was the Snohomish County Democratic Socialists of America, which had a table with literature. Local Democrats spoke.

EDMONDS — Several thousand people turned out for the No Kings rally in this Seattle suburb, according to the local press. Edmonds has an older population, but the rally was generationally diverse. The key speaker here was the hometown celebrity Rick Steves, a travel writer and TV personality known for his tours and travel shows. In his speech, Steves made a bullet point comparison of Trump’s anti-democratic measures to those in Nazi Germany. Use non-violence to resist and don’t “take the bait” was a key point Steves made.

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OREGON

By Rick Berman

HILLSBORO — On October 18, Portland — Oregon’s largest city — saw a massive No Kings march and protest rally, estimated at 40,000 participants by police. Simultaneous protests were organized in 26 Portland suburbs. There were no arrests, giving lie to the Trump administration’s claim that Portland is a “war zone” racked by left-wing violence.

I attended the protest in one of the larger suburbs, Hillsboro, a city of 110,000 people with a significant immigrant population. According to city authorities, 29.5% of residents speak a language other than English at home. During the week leading up to the protest, Hillsboro became a target of increased ICE activity. In one well-publicized incident two unmarked vans of ICE agents parked near apartments in a largely Latino area. A woman who is part of an ICE monitoring group blocked the vans with her vehicle and helped alert neighbors who confronted the agents, who soon left the area without making any arrests.

I estimated that 800 people attended the No Kings Day protest here. For two hours, spirited demonstrators lined the sidewalks for six blocks along both sides of S.E. 10th Avenue (popularly known as Calle Diez), the main artery in the Latino business district.

Most people waved home-made signs protesting attacks on civil liberties and the moves toward dictatorship. A smaller number of signs addressed other issues, including opposition to the firing of government workers and deportations of immigrants, and supporting women’s rights. Many participants waved U.S. flags and some waved Mexican flags. More than half of passing motorists honked their horns in support and many held up their own protest signs. Some demonstrators wore inflatable costumes — frogs, dinosaurs, chickens, unicorns — mocking the administration’s portrayal of protesters here as violent criminals.

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ARIZONA

By Geoff Mirelowitz

SCOTTSDALE — More than 60 peaceful No Kings demonstrations were held in Arizona, from Tuba City to Nogales, according to the Arizona Mirror. A large, spirited action took place here in Scottsdale as well.

“The largest event took place at the state Capitol in Phoenix, where the Arizona Department of Public Safety estimated that between 14,000 and 15,000 people attended,” the Mirror said. “That was about triple the number of people who attended the previous No Kings rally in June, where an estimated 5,000 people showed up to rally at the Capitol.”

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COLORADO

By Mike Maloney

DENVER — From the lawn of Denver’s Capitol to the streets of Grand Junction, Coloradans turned out across this state on Saturday, October 18, as part of the national No Kings movement to protest the policies and actions of U.S. president Donald Trump and his administration.

According to the Denver Post, tens of thousands of demonstrators in downtown Denver and in more than 50 Colorado cities and towns marched against the deployment of federal agents and military forces in U.S. cities, targeting of immigrant families, and threats to the country’s electoral, environmental protection, health care, and educational systems.

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CALIFORNIA

By Diane Jacobs

LOS ANGELES — According to the Los Angeles Times, tens of thousands of people marched and rallied across southern California. They included 25,000 in San Diego. At least 10 different demonstrations took place in Los Angeles, including a protest of thousands along the waterfront in Long Beach and 10,000-20,000 in downtown.

This demonstration, like others nationwide, was entirely peaceful with no counter protesters. After the crowd dispersed downtown, the Los Angeles Times estimated that about 100 people remained until well after dark. The cops finally forced them to disperse with tear gas and horses.

The protests were large despite a shutdown of the major freeway connecting Los Angeles and San Diego. A 17-mile section of Interstate 5 was closed while live-fire artillery exercises were conducted from U.S. Marine Corps Camp Pendleton, an exercise attended by U.S. vice president J.D. Vance and U.S. defense secretary Pete Hegseth.

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POSTSCRIPT BY WORLD-OUTLOOK

The Trump administration reacted to the large turnout of demonstrators on October 18 with a series of images and videos posted on the social media platform X by Trump, U.S. vice president J.D. Vance, and the White House. The reaction oozed of racism and contempt for the millions who turned out.

One post juxtaposed a photo of Trump and Vance wearing crowns to a photo of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wearing sombreros, an echo of the racist tropes that have become a hallmark of this administration.

On Trump’s Truth Social account, a video using AI imagery depicted the president as a fighter pilot, his face mask askew, dropping loads of excrement on demonstrators.

According to USA Today, Trump told reporters on Air Force One while returning to the White House from Florida on October 19 that the posts were a “joke.”

“I looked at the people, they’re not representative of this country,” the president said. He went on to describe the protesters as “whacked out.”

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