No Kings Protests Sweep Across the US in Third Nationwide Wave

Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good were U.S. citizens shot dead by federal immigration agents in Minnesota in January. On Saturday, Bruce Springsteen performed a song he wrote in their memory before an expected crowd of 100,000 at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul, the epicenter of a nationwide wave of "No Kings" protests that organizers said could draw more than 9 million participants across all 50 states.

The St. Paul rally served as the national flagship for the third round of No Kings demonstrations since President Donald Trump began his second term, and the first since the U.S. and Israel launched a war against Iran a month ago. Organizers designated Minnesota as the centerpiece because the Twin Cities had become, in their words, an epicenter of resistance following Operation Metro Surge, a federal immigration crackdown launched in December that deployed more than 3,000 agents in the region. Those agents were accused of using excessive force during deportation raids. The January shootings of Pretti and Good prompted nationwide outrage and dozens of lawsuits. The operation was wound down in February.

Minnesota organizers told state officials they expected as many as 100,000 people to converge on the Capitol grounds, a significant increase from the estimated 80,000 who attended the June No Kings rally at the same location. Thousands stood shoulder-to-shoulder on the Capitol lawn and surrounding streets, some holding upside-down U.S. flags. Before Springsteen took the stage, organizers played a video message from Robert DeNiro, who said he wakes up every morning depressed because of Trump but was happier Saturday because millions of people were protesting. DeNiro also congratulated Minnesota residents for running ICE out.

Springsteen's "Streets of Minneapolis," written in response to the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti and in tribute to Minnesotans who had protested through the winter, headlined a program that also featured singer Joan Baez, actor Jane Fonda, and Senator Bernie Sanders. Springsteen's Land of Hope & Dreams American Tour, themed around the No Kings movement, was set to kick off Tuesday in Minneapolis.

The grievances driving the day were wide-ranging. Sarah Parker, a national coordinator for the organizing group 50501, told reporters Thursday: "Since the last No Kings protests, we're seeing higher gas prices and groceries, all while there's an illegal war in Iran. We've also seen our neighbors executed, American citizens executed, and our children carrying the burden of owning their own power and walking out of school in defiance. The people of America are pissed. They are the ones demanding for no kings."

The organizing coalition, which includes Indivisible, Public Citizen, MoveOn, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the National Action Network, predicted Saturday's turnout would surpass the prior two rounds, which they estimated drew more than 5 million in June and more than 7 million in October. A national NBC News poll from earlier this month found that majorities of registered voters disapprove of Trump's handling of immigration, Iran, and inflation and the cost of living.

The protests spread well beyond U.S. borders. In New York City, New York Attorney General Letitia James and City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams marched alongside demonstrators. Crowds gathered near the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., and in Boston, where one protester arrived wearing a paper crown. Ada Shen, organizing the Paris contingent, offered her reason plainly: "I protest all of Trump's illegal, immoral, reckless, and feckless, endless wars."

From the stage in St. Paul, an organizer framed the movement's intent in four words: "We intend to defend our democracy.