Millions Join No Kings Rallies Nationwide to Protest Trump Administration

The White House called them "Trump Derangement Therapy Sessions." On the streets of more than 3,200 American cities, organizers counted something closer to eight million people.

Millions took to the streets Saturday for the third round of "No Kings" rallies, a coordinated day of nonviolent protest organized by the No Kings Coalition that stretched across all 50 states and into European capitals. Organizers estimated at least 8 million participants in more than 3,300 events worldwide, with separate organizer tallies projecting as many as 9 million participants in more than 3,100 registered U.S. events alone.

The national flagship rally unfolded at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul, where tens of thousands filled the streets to protest the Trump administration's immigration enforcement policies. The venue carried specific weight: federal agents fatally shot two people, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, who were monitoring the administration's immigration crackdown in the state. Bruce Springsteen headlined the St. Paul observance, performing "Streets of Minneapolis," which he wrote in response to their deaths and in tribute to Minnesotans who protested over the winter. Senator Bernie Sanders also took the stage and riled up the crowd with remarks about the role of the ultra rich in politics. Springsteen's Land of Hope & Dreams American Tour, which carries a "No Kings" theme, was set to kick off the following Tuesday in Minneapolis.

Hundreds of thousands turned out across New York City, Washington, the Twin Cities, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Paris, Berlin, Nashville, Dallas and Denver. In Los Angeles, organizers expected more than 100,000 participants across the region, with more than 40 protests planned spanning L.A., Orange and Ventura counties. Indivisible Chicago and the ACLU of Illinois helped organize a Chicago rally projected to draw tens of thousands. Roads in Philadelphia were shut down ahead of that city's rally, and at least 40 events were scheduled throughout Southeast Michigan.

Protesters cited a range of grievances: ICE crackdowns and fatal immigration enforcement shootings, the ongoing U.S. and Israeli bombardment of Iran, which was four weeks old at the time of the rallies, high gas and food prices, and what demonstrators characterized as over-policing of American communities. As one of Washington's marches wound down at the Southwest Waterfront, national guard members stood a few feet from the crowd. Ama'd, 27, offered a blunt assessment of why the capital mattered: "Donald Tump unleashed this on Washington DC first. We need the rest of the country to know that we are being over-policed in our communities."

Minor scuffles broke out when counterprotesters blocked streets in Dallas, where police made several arrests. The White House did not soften its position. Spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement: "The only people who care about these Trump Derangement Therapy Sessions are the reporters who are paid to cover them."

Saturday's protests marked the third national mobilization under the No Kings banner. The first, held June 14 on Trump's 79th birthday, drew an estimated 4 million to 6 million people across roughly 2,100 sites in direct rebuke of the president's planned military parade. A second mobilization in mid-October attracted an estimated 7 million people in more than 2,700 cities, according to a crowdsourcing analysis by data journalist G. Elliott Morris. No Kings Coalition organizers had set their sights on Saturday surpassing those totals to become the single largest protest day in American history, pointing to unprecedented participation from rural and Republican-leaning communities and Trump's lowest approval ratings since his second term began.