On October 18, 2025, cities and towns across the United States will see a wave of coordinated demonstrations as part of the second nationwide "No Kings" protest movement. Organizers say the effort, which includes more than 2,500 planned events from Kansas to Florida and beyond, is a stand for democracy and free speech—and a direct challenge to President Donald Trump’s administration and policies.
The first No Kings protest, held on June 14, 2025, coincided with Trump’s birthday and a military parade in Washington, D.C. That day saw thousands gather in cities nationwide, including a massive turnout at the Kansas Statehouse. The movement’s message was clear: opposition to what organizers describe as authoritarian overreach, attacks on civil liberties, and policies that, in their view, harm working families while benefiting the wealthy.
This time, the stakes feel even higher for many. The October 18 protests come amid a government shutdown that began on October 1, with organizers blaming the administration for what they call "violent authoritarian attacks on our freedoms," including the militarization of cities and the use of masked agents in communities. According to the No Kings website, the protests aim to highlight a wide range of grievances: targeting immigrant families, threats to election integrity, cuts to healthcare and education, environmental rollbacks, gerrymandering, inaction on gun violence, rising living costs, and what they see as giveaways to billionaire allies.
“His administration is sending masked agents into our streets, terrorizing our communities. They are targeting immigrant families, profiling, arresting and detaining people without warrants,” the No Kings website states. “Threatening to overtake elections. Gutting healthcare, environmental protections, and education when families need them most. Rigging maps to silence voters. Ignoring mass shootings at our schools and in our communities. Driving up the cost of living while handing out massive giveaways to billionaire allies, as families struggle.”
Dozens of organizations have signed on as partners, including the American Civil Liberties Union, the American Federation for Government Employees, the League of Women Voters, the Women’s March, and the 5051 movement. April Verrett, president of the Service Employees International Union, underscored the movement’s populist tone: “No Kings Day is about claiming what we’ve already built. Working people built this country, not billionaires. We’re protecting what we’ve built, and we’re building what’s next. Let’s go get it.”
Protests are planned in nearly every corner of the country. In Kansas alone, events are scheduled in cities like Arkansas City, Beloit, Clay Center, Cottonwood Falls, Dodge City, Emporia, Eudora, Garden City, Gardner, Hutchinson, Kansas City, Lawrence, Manhattan, Marysville, McPherson, Newton, Ottawa, Overland Park, Salina, and Wichita. Topeka will host two rallies: one at the Kansas Statehouse from noon to 2 p.m., and another at the "No Kings Topeka Corner" at SW 21st and Wanamaker Road from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Organizers expect the largest demonstrations in major cities, including outside the Capitol in Washington, D.C., as well as Boston, New York, Atlanta, Kansas City, San Francisco, Chicago, New Orleans, and Bozeman, Montana.
Florida’s Treasure Coast will also see significant activity, with protests scheduled in Port St. Lucie, Fort Pierce, Vero Beach, Stuart, and Sebastian. These events, like their counterparts nationwide, are designed to “challenge President Donald Trump as he escalates his violent authoritarian attacks on our freedoms,” according to organizers. Specific locations and times range from the MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Event Center in Port St. Lucie (noon to 2 p.m.) to Riverview Park in Sebastian (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.), with a variety of venues in between. The movement’s rhetoric is sharp: “This isn’t just politics. It’s democracy versus dictatorship. And together, we’re choosing democracy.”
Yet, the No Kings movement has drawn fierce criticism from prominent Republicans. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, in an interview with Fox News, labeled the upcoming protest at the National Mall a “hate America rally” and associated it with “the pro-Hamas wing” and “the antifa people.” Johnson claimed, “Some of the House Democrats are selling t-shirts for the event. And it’s being told to us that they won’t be able to reopen the government until after that rally because they can’t face their rabid base.”
Representative Tom Emmer, another senior House Republican, echoed Johnson’s sentiments, blaming the protest for prolonging the government shutdown. “Chuck Schumer and Democrats are putting the livelihoods of the American people at risk to score political points with their pro-terrorist wing of the Democrat Party,” Emmer said to POLITICO. “Just last month, one-third of Democrats surveyed said they support Hamas— a foreign terrorist organization—more than our ally, Israel. Schumer and Democrats must end the political games and reopen the government.”
Organizers, for their part, have largely brushed off such rhetoric. In a joint, unsigned statement, the No Kings coalition responded with a touch of humor and a pointed rebuke: “Speaker Johnson is running out of excuses for keeping the government shut down. Instead of reopening the government, preserving affordable healthcare, or lowering costs for working families, he’s attacking millions of Americans who are peacefully coming together to say that America belongs to its people, not to kings.”
Jon Favreau, co-founder of Crooked Media and a vocal supporter of the movement, defended the protests on social media, emphasizing their peaceful nature and patriotic spirit. “Those of us who will be participating next weekend in what Emmer calls a ‘hate rally’ for ‘terrorists’ love our country—particularly its promise that we’re all created equal, that we all have the right to speak freely, to enjoy equal protection under the law, to believe what we want, and to choose our leaders without fear of reprisal,” he wrote.
The June 14 protests, according to multiple news outlets including POLITICO and TCPalm, were overwhelmingly peaceful, with American flags visible at rallies across the country. However, there was one tragic exception in Salt Lake City, where rally “peacekeepers” shot and killed a bystander after believing another man with a gun was about to fire on the crowd. Organizers condemned the violence and emphasized their commitment to nonviolent protest.
The No Kings coalition is a broad alliance, spanning labor unions, grassroots groups like Indivisible, and national advocacy organizations such as Vote Save America. Their message is multifaceted but united in opposition to what they see as abuses of executive power and threats to American democracy.
As October 18 approaches, the country braces for a day of passionate activism—and, inevitably, political controversy. For supporters, the No Kings protests represent a defense of foundational American values. For critics, they are a flashpoint in the nation’s ongoing political battles. One thing is certain: the voices on both sides are loud, determined, and unlikely to back down anytime soon.