Saturday's 'No Kings' events, taking place in 3,300 locations across the U.S., were the highest number of protests in a single day in U.S. history.

Over 8 million people turned out, claim the organizers, for the third round of anti-authoritarian marches since Trump's re-election over a year ago. These protests were the result of multiple stressors, from ICE raids to the war in Iran and threats to voting rights.

Sarah Parker, the executive director of Voices of Florida and a national coordinator for the 50501 movement, stated: "Since the last 'No Kings', we're seeing higher gas prices and groceries, all while there's an illegal war in Iran. The American people are pissed."

One of the largest marches was in Minneapolis, where federal agents killed Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Goode during Trump's anti-immigration crackdown. About 200,000 people attended, with speakers including Vermont U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders and state governor Tim Walz.

Bruce Springsteen performed 'Streets of Minneapolis' and led anti-ICE chants. A similar turnout in New York City marched through Times Square, with Robert De Niro, Al Sharpton, and Letitia James among those addressing the crowds.

The organizers stated: "In America, we don't do kings." The movement was primarily coordinated by Indivisible and 50501, joined by various groups and organizations, including Third Act Movement and the American Federation of Teachers.

Ezra Levin, co-founder of Indivisible, described the rallies as "a place for everybody to come and exercise their rights as Americans in a patriotic and safe way". Randy Weingarten, president of the AFT, said that Trump "can't ignore the millions in the streets today".

In Topeka, Kansas, a rally outside the Statehouse had people impersonating a frog king and Trump as a baby. Wendy Wyatt drove with a "Cats Against Trump" sign from Lawrence, 20 miles (32 kilometers) to the east, and planned to return to her hometown for a later rally there.

Wyatt expressed that "there are so many things" about the Trump administration that upset her, but "this is very hopeful to me". White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson characterized the protests as the product of "leftist funding networks" with little real public support.

Outside the U.S., demonstrations took place in at least a dozen countries. In the U.K. and Japan, with constitutional monarchies, organizers used the name "No Tyrants" rather than "No Kings" to make clear they were about Trump, not Charles III or Naruhito.

Euro News reported that around 20,000 people marched in European cities including Amsterdam, Madrid, and Rome. In Paris, hundreds gathered at the Bastille — mostly Americans living in France, according to the AP, joined by French labor unions and human rights organizations.

Gov. Janet Mills of Maine, a Democrat who is running for Senate in one of this year's most-watched races, attended three "No Kings" protests in and around Portland, the state's largest city and a Democratic stronghold. Her Democratic rival, Graham Platner, an oyster farmer running as a political outsider, spoke at a protest in Aroostook County, the state's northernmost county, where Trump won by 26 points in 2024.

Some Democrats seen as potential 2028 presidential contenders also got in on the action. Pete Buttigieg, former transportation secretary and 2020 presidential candidate, attended a rally in Traverse City, Mich., where he lives.

Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey, who also ran in 2020, joined a protest in St. Louis (he was in the city as part of a book tour). The protests reflect sustained and broadening opposition to Trump, already deeply unpopular before he launched a war in Iran with vague and shifting rationales and objectives.

On Friday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the U.S. could achieve its goals in Iran without ground troops, just as Trump made clear he had not ruled out that option.