‘No King’ protest update: Thousands of anti-Trump events are planned for Saturday across the U.S. as part of the plan ‘No King’ protest. The demonstrations attracted millions of participants, who took to the streets holding placards and chanting slogans. Marches were held in New York City, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Minneapolis and other centers.
More than 3,200 events are planned in all 50 states. Organizers said more than 9 million protesters were expected to attend the events.
Bruce Springsteen and Joan Baez
Singers Bruce Springsteen and Joan Baez will hold a rally at the Minnesota Capitol, with more than 100,000 people expected to gather in an area that has become a hotspot for Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration.
Other large rallies are taking place in New York, Los Angeles and Washington.
“The defining story of this Saturday’s mobilization is not just how many people protested, but where they protested,” said Leah Greenberg, co-founder of Indivisible, which launched the No Kings movement last year and led planning for Saturday’s event.
When and where are the No Kings protests happening near me?
Organizers posted a map on their website directing locals to protest sites. People can simply enter their postal code or address to find details.
“As President Trump tightens his grip on us, we the people have a responsibility to show that we will fight to protect each other and our country. If he thinks we will roll over and allow him to take away our freedoms, he is wrong. We will come together again on March 28 because we know that when we come together, we can overcome this repression,” organizers said on their website.
Midterm elections take center stage
With the U.S. midterm elections coming later this year, organizers say they are seeing a surge in people organizing anti-Trump events and registering to attend in heavily Republican states such as Idaho, Wyoming, Montana and Utah.
“The people who decide elections, who knock on doors, who register voters, who do all the work of turning protest into power, they’re taking to the streets now and they’re angry,” Greenberg said.
White House response
In a statement, White House press secretary Abigail Jackson called the rallies “Trump insanity sessions” of interest only to reporters.
In northern Virginia outside Washington, D.C., hundreds of people began gathering near Arlington National Cemetery on Saturday before planning to cross the Potomac River to the nation’s capital, the National Mall.
Some passing drivers honked their horns in support, but others slowed down to scold the protesters.
“You’re all idiots,” one man shouted from the car.
Call against Iran war
The “No King Movement” launched on Trump’s birthday last June 14 drew an estimated 4 to 6 million people to about 2,100 locations across the country. The second mobilization event in October had an estimated 7 million people participating in more than 2,700 cities, according to a crowdsourced analysis published by renowned data journalist G Elliott Morris.
That incident in October was triggered in large part by backlash against the government shutdown, a harsh crackdown by federal immigration authorities and the deployment of National Guard troops to major cities.
Saturday’s event came as organizers called for action against the U.S. and Israeli bombing of Iran, a conflict that has raged for four weeks.
