One of The Biggest Protests in America’s History
"No Kings Day" showed that more than 5 million people are aware, angry and will not stay silent during Trump and Miller's effort to crumble American democracy.
Last weekend was historic. Millions of Americans across the country joined ”No Kings Day” rallies to defend our democracy, to speak out against the unfettered power grab by Donald Trump, and to oppose Stephen Miller’s mass deportation machine. The rallies drew more than 5 million people, making it one of the largest protests in American history. With Trump’s illegal use of the National Guard to the crackdown on peaceful protests against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) mass deportation raids across Los Angeles on full display, Americans were even more galvanized to fight against the authoritarian powers seeping into our American democracy and threatening our personal freedoms.
There were over 2,000 peaceful protests in different cities and towns. The protests weren’t just in blue cities and towns, but in all 50 states, including red states. It was a sharp contrast to Trump’s $45 million birthday parade, which reportedly did not meet his expectations.
The massive turnout at the protests means around 1.2-1.8% of the U.S. population attended a No Kings Day” protest - a staggering number of people. G. Elliott Morris noted that scholars find that “mobilizations of 1-1.5% of the population still have a 40-60% chance of accomplishing their goals”. According to the Crowd Counting Consortium, a joint project of Harvard Kennedy School and the University of Connecticut, there are far more protests happening in Trump’s second term compared to this first term over the same time period.
In Minnesota, where political violence early Saturday morning resulted in the horrific murder of state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband and serious injuries to State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, tens of thousands of Minnesotans came out to remember the victims and to stand together on No Kings Day.
Across the country, rally attendees shared messages defending democracy and the rights of all of us. But, one consistent theme was the fierce opposition to the Trump/Miller mass deportation crusade.
One of the protesters, Angeleno Maria Rodriguez, explained how important it was as a Dreamer and “as an American” to “fight for what’s right, to stand up for our rights,” particularly after seeing the arrest of the California union leader David Huerta at a protest against immigration raids in Los Angeles.
Angeline Garza, an elementary school teacher from Texas, said that “Now more than ever, [deportations] are affecting a lot of people and they are seeing what the Trump administration wanted to do from the beginning, that it was not just about deporting criminals.”
And Janey Christoffersen, a first-time protester from Wisconsin, said that she was angered over mass deportation raids and wanted tto affirm that immigrants belong here. "I want to get out of my comfort zone to show people that we love and care about them, that the whole country is not angry.”
America isn’t about separating families or giving up on our freedoms and our right to due process. It’s about coming together as “We the People” to protect each other and stand up for what is right. While this won’t be the last time there will be protests out on the streets to speak out against Trump and Miller, and this single day won’t stop the inhumane mass deportation of our families, coworkers, and friends, it shows that Americans are not just going to idly standby and watch authoritarian powers hide behind false xenophobic characterization of immigrants in this country. These protests, especially when compared to Trump’s birthday parade, show that support for Trump and Miller’s mass deportation obsession is weak, despite their recent show of state force.
The “No Kings Day” protests were one step towards the bigger resistance and a litmus test for how much America values democracy and freedom and will not stay ignorant nor silent.
Some examples of protests in conservative states: