‘No Kings’ protests across the U.S.
The most recent “No Kings” protests were held across the Unites States yesterday, October 18, 2025. Reportedly, an estimated seven million protestors participated nationwide, according to organizers of the event. An earlier nationwide “No Kings” event was held on June 14, 2025.
The “No Kings” protests were organized as a unified day of action by a coalition of progressive groups (including Indivisible, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), and others) under the banner of rejecting what they describe as an authoritarian drift of the Donald Trump administration during his second term.
Their key stated aims of the protest included:
- To affirm that “America has no kings” — i.e., to insist that no one person should operate as a de facto monarch or dictator and that power must remain subject to democratic checks and accountability.
- To push back against perceived abuses of executive power: deployment of federal forces or National Guard troops to cities, crackdowns on civil‑society or labor groups, mass immigration enforcement or deportations without due process, and the suppression of dissent.
- To mobilize broadly — in all 50 states, in cities large and small — in a symbolic show of democratic resistance, rather than only in major urban hubs.
- To emphasize non‑violent protest, de‑escalation tactics, and visible solidarity (for example through a visual theme of yellow clothing) as part of the movement’s identity.
Basically, the October 18 protest was a coordinated, symbolic and broad‑based effort to show mass concern about democratic norms, the consolidation of power, and civil liberties being abused under the current Donald Trump administration.
Estimated number of protestors across the U.S.
There is no precise, independently verified “final tally” of all protestors across the more than 2,000 events. However, the public estimates are as follows:
- Organizers claimed the October 18 protests took place at over 2,500–2,700 locations across all 50 states.
- Many media outlets report an estimate of “nearly 7 million” participants nationwide. Some fact‑checkers suggest more conservative ranges (for example 4–6 million) based on crowdsourced data and earlier events.
- For specific large cities: e.g., in New York City the New York City Police Department reported “more than 100,000 people across all five boroughs” participated, with zero protest‑related arrests.
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The Top 14 most‑attended protests (cities ranked by reported attendance)
(Note: the numbers indicated below are from media-reported estimates)
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| Rank | City | Estimated attendance (approx) | Highlights | Notes |
| 1 | New York City (NYC) | ~100,000+ across city (Manhattan >100k) | NYC march from Father Duffy Square/Times Square; speakers included City Comptroller Brad Lander, immigration‑coalition leaders. | Largest reported single‑city turnout publicly cited. |
| 2 | Washington, D.C. | ~200,000 (organizer estimate) | Rally on the National Mall; emphasis on democracy; senior Democratic figures joined segment. | As one of the anchor sites. |
| 3 | Chicago, Illinois | ~250,000+ (some reports) | March through downtown Chicago; Mayor Brandon Johnson addressed rally. | Large Midwest turnout. |
| 4 | Boston, Massachusetts | ~100,000 (organizer cited) | Held in Boston as one of major East‑Coast anchor cities. | |
| 5 | San Francisco / Bay Area, California | Tens of thousands (~100,000) | Demonstration across the Bay Area; visual “No Kings” human‑formed banner reported. | West‑Coast hub. |
| 6 | Los Angeles, California | Tens of thousands (various thousands) | March in downtown L.A., Gloria Molina Grand Park; creative signage. | Attendance lower than the top handful. |
| 7 | San Diego, California | ~100,000 (organizer estimate) | Waterfront rally; one of the larger West‑Coast turnouts. | Less widely reported than other cities. |
| 8 | Portland, Oregon | ~30,000–50,000 | Demonstration downtown; costumed participants, creative signage. | Mid‑sized for major city. |
| 9 | Austin, Texas | ~50,000–70,000 | Significant Texas turnout despite state guard deployment; strong activist presence. | Indicates major Southern turnout. |
| 10 | Houston, Texas | ~13,500–15,000 (organizer) | Downtown Houston march; speakers included Rep. Jasmine Crockett, student hunger‑strike activists. | Large for city but smaller than top tier. |
| 11 | Seattle, Washington | ~70,000 (estimate) | Rally at Seattle Center / Space Needle; “No Kings” signage. | Pacific Northwest turnout. |
| 12 | Denver, Colorado | ~10,000–20,000 | Outside Colorado State Capitol; a handful of arrests reported for unlawful assembly. | Rocky Mountain region. |
| 13 | Charlotte, North Carolina | ~10,000–20,000 | Major rally in the South; part of effort to mobilize in more conservative regions. | Unusual for region. |
| 14 | Atlanta, Georgia | ~12,000 (reported) | Southern anchor city; smaller than some major metros but significant regionally. | Southeastern hub. |
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Reported incidents of violence?
With seven million protestors gathered in more than 2,500–2,700 locations across all 50 states, one might think that incidents of violence across the land would have been widespread; thankfully that was not the case yesterday. Overall, the protests were reported as being largely peaceful.
The movement’s organizers emphasized non‑violent action, training attendees in de‑escalation and requesting that no weapons be brought. In most large cities, no major arrests or violent confrontations were reported. For example, in New York City, the NYPD reported zero protest‑related arrests.
Some incidents did occur, however.
In Denver, authorities reported that a small subset of protesters marched onto a highway, were ordered to disperse, and smoke/tear‑type devices were used; 12 arrests were made in that city. Other less‑serious incidents also went down. In Georgia a man was seen taking a protester’s flag and pushing another. In South Carolina a woman was arrested for brandishing a firearm near a demonstration.
Overall, the tone for the day was a peaceful one in most locations.
Opinion: The highlight of the day for this viewer was Senator Bernie Sanders’ “No Kings” October 18 speech in Washington D.C. In bullet point fashion, he highlighted all the things worth protesting regarding the present presidential administration.
You can catch his full speech below.
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(Sources: The Economic Time, World Socialist, Common Dreams, The Independent, NBC New York, Factually, Houston Chronicle, CBS News)
Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today
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