Across the United States and beyond, anticipation is building for what organizers promise will be one of the largest coordinated protest actions in recent years. On October 18, 2025, the “No Kings Day” rallies are set to take place at thousands of locations, from small towns in Kansas to the steps of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. The message, as articulated by organizers and echoed by participants, is clear: America has no kings, and the power belongs to the people.
In Hutchinson, Kansas, the local chapter of Hutch Common Ground is preparing for an especially robust turnout. The group, which began as a handful of concerned residents meeting over coffee, has grown exponentially to more than 550 members in Hutchinson and Reno County. According to the Hutchinson News, they have held weekly rallies for 25 consecutive Saturdays, with attendance typically ranging from 80 to 100 people. However, organizers expect the October 18 event at Crescent Park to far exceed those numbers. Laura Shea, a member of Hutch Common Ground, recalled, “Back in June, we had 400 people in that little park.” She expects the upcoming rally to draw an even larger crowd, reflecting a growing sense of urgency and engagement within the community.
The roots of “No Kings Day” trace back to June 14, 2025, a date that coincided with the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary military parade in Washington, D.C., and former President Donald Trump’s 79th birthday. The first nationwide protest was organized as a response to what many saw as an embrace of strongman politics and a departure from democratic traditions. “It’s ... to remind everyone that the power belongs to the people,” Shea said, emphasizing the nonpartisan nature of Hutch Common Ground’s mission. “We don’t have kings or monarchs (in America).”
This sentiment is echoed nationwide. According to The Hill, more than 2,000 “No Kings” protests are planned for October 18, with major demonstrations slated for cities including Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, Atlanta, New Orleans, Kansas City, and Bozeman, Montana. The movement has even spread internationally, with events scheduled in Canada and as far south as Madrid, Mexico. The main page of the “No Kings” website proclaims, “On October 18, millions of us are rising again to show the world: America has no kings, and the power belongs to the people.”
The planned protest in Washington, D.C. is expected to be a focal point, with thousands of demonstrators anticipated to gather in front of the U.S. Capitol building. The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), representing over 820,000 federal workers, has actively encouraged its members to participate. In a statement released on October 6, AFGE said, “The protest movement has taken on new urgency with the government shutdown that began Oct. 1. Shutting down the government is another authoritarian power grab by this administration, which has threatened to lay off mass numbers of furloughed federal workers as part of an ongoing quest to gut federal programs and services the administration finds objectionable.”
Organizers and participants say the stakes feel higher than ever. “We seek to organize and facilitate peaceful, nonpartisan and action-oriented support from community members who are concerned about the state of our democracy,” Shea explained to the Hutchinson News. The group’s rapid growth, from a few founding members to hundreds, speaks to a broader anxiety about the direction of American governance and the need for civic engagement.
Each local rally is expected to have its own flavor. In Hutchinson, the event will feature speakers drawn from the Reno County and Hutchinson community, protest signs, and noisemakers like cowbells. Shea emphasized that the rallies have been peaceful, saying, “We haven’t had any problems in Hutch, it really has been peaceful so far.” The group encourages anyone interested to join the October 18 event or any of their other weekly rallies, which always begin at 10 a.m. in Crescent Park.
The movement’s reach within Kansas is extensive. According to the No Kings website, protests will also take place in Arkansas City, Beloit, Clay Center, Cottonwood Falls, Dodge City, Emporia, Eudora, Garden City, Gardner, Kansas City, Lawrence, Manhattan, Marysville, McPherson, Newton, Ottawa, Overland Park, Salina, Topeka, and Wichita. This widespread participation reflects a groundswell of concern not just in urban centers, but in rural communities as well.
Nationally, the protests have drawn sharp criticism from some political leaders. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) voiced his opposition in a Fox News interview on October 10, saying, “The theory we have right now [is] they have a ‘Hate America’ rally that’s scheduled for Oct. 18 on the National Mall. It’s all the pro-Hamas wing and the antifa people, they’re all coming out.” His remarks underscore the contentious environment in which these rallies are taking place, with accusations and counter-accusations flying between organizers and detractors.
Prominent voices in American culture have also weighed in. Actor Robert De Niro, in a video shared on Indivisible’s Instagram page, called on Americans to join the October 18 protests, drawing a direct line from the American Revolution to today’s activism. “We’ve had two and a half centuries of democracy since then, often challenging, sometimes messy, always essential,” De Niro said. “And we fought in two world wars to preserve it. Now we have a would-be king who wants to take it away, King Donald I. F‑‑‑ that!”
Interestingly, the first “No Kings Day” protests did not include a demonstration in Washington, D.C. Organizers at the time encouraged those in the D.C. area to attend a flagship march in Philadelphia or join local protests in Virginia or Maryland. Their strategy was to “make action everywhere else the story of America that day: people coming together in communities across the country to reject strongman politics and corruption.”
As October 18 approaches, the sense of anticipation is palpable among both organizers and participants. The rallies, while sparked by opposition to the Trump administration’s policies, have grown into a broader call for the preservation of democratic norms and the rejection of authoritarianism. For groups like Hutch Common Ground, the message is about unity and peaceful action, not just protest. “A lot of people are concerned about what’s going on, and this is one way we can be heard,” Shea said.
With thousands of protests scheduled and millions expected to participate, “No Kings Day” stands as a testament to the enduring power of grassroots activism in America. Whether in Hutchinson’s Crescent Park or on the steps of the U.S. Capitol, citizens are gathering to remind the nation—and the world—that democracy, though sometimes messy, remains essential and worth defending.