On October 18, 2025, Kerrville, Texas, will join more than 2,000 cities across the United States—and even some in Canada and Mexico—in a sweeping day of protest. The “No Kings” movement, a coalition of over 200 organizations including Indivisible, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and labor unions, is mobilizing what it claims will be one of the largest demonstrations in modern American history. The protests, scheduled to run from 10 a.m. to noon at the Kerr County Courthouse and mirrored in towns like Boerne, Fredericksburg, Johnson City, Hondo, and Marble Falls, are a direct response to what organizers describe as President Donald Trump’s increasingly authoritarian policies.
The “No Kings” movement’s message is clear: the United States was founded on the rejection of monarchic rule, and its participants are rallying against what they see as encroachments on democratic norms. According to the movement’s website, “'NO KINGS' is more than just a slogan; it is the foundation our nation was built upon.” This sentiment has resonated widely, as evidenced by the previous “No Kings” day of action on June 14, 2025, which drew an estimated 5 to 6 million people across more than 2,100 cities and towns, coinciding with Trump’s 79th birthday and a military parade in Washington, D.C. Organizers and the ACLU described those demonstrations as largely peaceful, despite concerns about unrest.
This Saturday’s protests are expected to be even larger. In Eureka, California, for example, the “No Kings 2.0” protest is planned for noon at the courthouse. Local organizers there are calling for an end to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) “kidnappings,” opposing military policing of neighborhoods, and protesting healthcare cuts and tax breaks for billionaires. The event also includes a food drive led by Food Not Bombs, highlighting the movement’s mutual aid ethos and commitment to supporting vulnerable community members. “We must fight to protect social security, and to keep our food benefits,” organizers stated in their press release, while also condemning rhetoric targeting the transgender community and the labeling of Antifa as domestic terrorists.
Actor Robert De Niro added a celebrity voice to the chorus of dissent, releasing a video in support of the protests. He invoked the American Revolution as the “original No Kings,” declaring, “We’ve had two and a half centuries of democracy since then, often challenging, sometimes messy, always essential. And we fought in two world wars to preserve it. Now we have a would-be king who wants to take it away.”
The protests have not gone unnoticed by Republican leaders. House Speaker Mike Johnson, speaking on Fox News, labeled the demonstrations a “hate-America rally.” House Majority Whip Tom Emmer went further, describing them as a gathering of “the terrorist wing” of the Democratic Party. Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas called for National Guard troops to be deployed for the Washington protest, warning of “agitators.” This rhetoric has drawn sharp criticism from Democratic officials. Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy of Minnesota sent a letter to Rep. Emmer on October 15, condemning his statements and warning that “such divisive rhetoric endangers peaceful protesters.”
The Trump administration has defended its use of National Guard troops in cities such as Los Angeles, Portland, Chicago, and Memphis as necessary to protect federal property and personnel, particularly during protests around ICE facilities. However, critics argue that these deployments are politically motivated and escalate tensions. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker called the administration’s ultimatum to deploy troops or have them federalized “absolutely outrageous and un-American.” In Portland, U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut temporarily blocked National Guard deployment, noting in her order that protests there were “largely sedate” with fewer than 30 people in some cases, and describing Trump’s claims of a “war ravaged” city as exaggerated.
Organizers of the “No Kings” movement have repeatedly emphasized their commitment to nonviolent protest. “A core principle behind all No Kings events is a commitment to nonviolent action,” according to organizing materials. Weapons are banned even if legally permitted, and volunteers receive de-escalation training. “We’re monitoring what’s going on online in advance and being proactive against any identified threats,” a spokesperson told Fox News Digital, describing the movement as “mindful, thoughtful, organized and centered on nonviolence.” The first protest reportedly recorded “very few incidents,” and police in Charleston, South Carolina, declared the June events “overwhelmingly peaceful.”
Yet, concerns about the integrity of protest movements have surfaced from unexpected quarters. Adam Swart, CEO of the national crowd-for-hire firm Crowds on Demand, warned that America’s protest culture, including the upcoming “No Kings” protest, could be exploited by paid agitators, profit-driven interest groups, and even foreign actors. “My concern is that there are forces—some domestic, some maybe foreign—that actually want to pull America apart,” Swart told Fox News Digital. He described a “protest industry” that monetizes political outrage, cautioning that manipulation and misinformation could turn demonstrations into tools for profit or chaos. Swart also cited recent U.S. intelligence warnings that foreign actors, particularly Russia, China, and Iran, use disinformation to amplify divisive narratives and potentially spur unrest around major political events.
Swart’s warnings are not limited to any single protest or political movement. “The sources of it are not right or left. The sources are far more sinister than that,” he said. He emphasized a need for awareness and transparency to reduce the risks of manipulation: “The protest space has to be about purpose again. If we don’t figure that out, we’re going to keep getting played by the people who thrive on conflict.” Swart’s company declined to participate in the “No Kings” event, which he called “a dud in the making,” but he acknowledged that organizers’ commitment to nonviolence and security measures set a positive example.
Organizers, for their part, dismissed Swart’s critique, stating the protest “has nothing to do with raising money or energizing voters,” but is instead “an effort to demonstrate and build the resistance to the authoritarian.” They described the movement as part of “a proud American tradition” of peaceful civic demonstrations, and expect turnout “comparable to or larger than” the first nationwide demonstration, which they claim attracted about 5 million participants.
As the nation braces for another massive outpouring of protest on October 18, the stakes feel higher than ever. The “No Kings” movement, for all its critics and challenges, is drawing on deep currents of American history and dissent. Whether the day’s events will be remembered as a turning point—or simply another chapter in the country’s ongoing political drama—remains to be seen. But for millions preparing to take to the streets, the message is unmistakable: democracy, they say, is worth fighting for.
