On October 18, 2025, a staggering wave of protest swept across the United States. More than 7 million people took to the streets for the "No Kings" demonstrations, making it the largest single day of protest in American history, according to Socialist Alternative Chicago. This mass mobilization eclipsed the previous record set earlier in June and underscored mounting public anger at the Trump administration’s policies—especially its aggressive stance on immigration and its increasingly authoritarian approach to governance.
The protests were not just about numbers; they reflected deep and widespread frustration. In the weeks leading up to the October 18 marches, Chicago became a focal point for outrage after a series of violent ICE raids, including one dramatic incident where federal agents rappelled down an apartment building from Black Hawk helicopters under cover of night. Such scenes, reported by International Socialist, have become emblematic of the administration’s crackdown on immigrants—a crackdown now backed by a Supreme Court decision allowing ICE to use racial profiling as grounds for stops and detentions.
As the protests raged, the country was also grappling with a government shutdown entering its fifth week. Critics pointed out that while the administration and its Republican allies spoke of trimming “bloated” government expenditures, they had managed to allocate $170 billion in taxpayer funds to ICE and the Department of Homeland Security. Meanwhile, essential programs like SNAP benefits and healthcare for the poorest Americans faced cuts—or, in some cases, outright neglect. There were even allegations, reported by Socialist Alternative, that President Trump sought a personal payment of $230 million from the Justice Department, a claim that, if true, would further inflame public opinion as millions of children continue to go hungry.
Polling from late September 2025 suggests that the public mood has turned decisively against the administration’s immigration agenda, with 52% of respondents disapproving of Trump’s handling of the issue. Yet, as many protest organizers and labor leaders have pointed out, polling alone is unlikely to bring about real change. The October 18 protests were seen as a call to action—a demand for a more sustained, organized resistance capable of exerting real pressure on the White House and its allies.
Central to this vision is the role of organized labor. As history has repeatedly shown, the fate of authoritarian movements often hinges on the response of the labor movement. Yet, as highlighted in a recent analysis published in October 2025, the American labor movement is currently fragmented and weakened. Union density has fallen from one in four workers in 1980 to just one in nine today. The Trump administration has exacerbated this decline, eliminating union rights for a million federal workers—an anti-union move described as a "hundred times the anti-union tsunami that Ronald Reagan unleashed" in the 1980s.
Internal divisions further complicate the picture. Teamsters president Sean O’Brien, for example, gave the Trump campaign a boost by appearing at the 2024 Republican National Convention and has continued to forge alliances with MAGA-aligned politicians. Such moves have sown discord within organized labor, even as rank-and-file union members remain, in many cases, deeply opposed to the administration’s agenda.
Despite these challenges, there are signs of renewal and hope. Local unions have been at the forefront of organizing and resistance. The Chicago Teachers Union, United Teachers Los Angeles, Oakland Education Association, Minneapolis Federation of Teachers, and Saint Paul Federation of Educators have all led strikes since 2010, showing that local campaigns can spark broader movements. In 2025, California educator locals formed the California Alliance for Community Schools and launched the ‘We Can’t Wait’ campaign, aligning contract expiration dates across 32 locals to demand better staffing, smaller class sizes, and improved wages and benefits.
Coordination between unions and community organizations is also growing. The May Day Strong coalition, for example, worked with the United Auto Workers to align contract expirations around May 1, 2028, and parlayed the momentum from this year’s May Day mobilizations into a Labor Day campaign titled "Workers Over Billionaires." According to recent reporting, Labor Day 2025 saw the AFL-CIO and its affiliates organize 1,200 events nationwide—up from just 25 the year before. These actions transformed what was once a largely apolitical holiday into a day of protest targeting corporate power and the billionaire class.
At the October 18 "No Kings" protest in Chicago, more than 250,000 people gathered, and Democratic Mayor Brandon Johnson called for a general strike against Trump. While some found hope in this rhetoric, others remained skeptical of Democratic leadership, recalling the party’s role in breaking the 2022 railroad strike. As Socialist Alternative noted, "The Democrats are strike breakers, not strikers." Many activists argue that only a militant, independent working-class movement—one that does not rely on established political parties—can effectively challenge Trump’s agenda and the capitalist system that sustains it.
In response to the ICE raids, neighborhood watch groups have sprung up in cities like LA and Chicago, and the Chicago Teachers Union has built "sanctuary teams" in schools to protect vulnerable students and families. These defensive actions, activists argue, must be scaled up and coordinated across cities and states. Coalitions of immigrant rights groups, student organizations, faith communities, and unions are being urged to unite around concrete demands—such as defunding ICE, taxing the wealthy to fund healthcare, and organizing mass student walkouts and strikes.
Socialist Alternative has played an active role in these efforts, leading "Union Members Against ICE" contingents in protests and building support for union strike funds, particularly in Minneapolis where teachers are preparing for potential industrial action. Many protesters, according to the group, are calling for the creation of a new political party independent of both Democrats and Republicans—one rooted in working-class struggle and committed to systemic change.
While the movement has made impressive strides, challenges remain. Some protests have struggled to attract young people and people of color, with fears of reprisal and skepticism about the protests’ effectiveness keeping many away. Activists believe that a clearer strategy and greater involvement from the labor movement could help overcome these barriers, making the movement more inclusive and powerful.
Looking ahead, labor leaders and activists are calling for a range of tactics—from boycotts and sick-outs to general strikes and mass civil disobedience. As one October 2025 analysis noted, "We need the full range of tactics in our toolbox to protect each other, generate mass action, and build the movement needed to turn back the Trump agenda." The stakes, they argue, could hardly be higher. With the administration’s attacks on unions, immigrants, and democratic norms intensifying, only a broad-based, coordinated, and militant response stands a chance of reversing the tide.
The events of October 18 and the organizing that has followed suggest that such a response is possible—even if the path forward remains uncertain. For many, the fight is not just about resisting one administration, but about building a new movement capable of challenging the deep inequalities and authoritarian tendencies that have taken root in American society. The coming months will reveal whether this movement can sustain its momentum and deliver the change so many millions are now demanding.
