‘No Kings’ protests surge nationwide as Trump policies draw pushback
by Sarah Davis - 03/28/26 8:59 AM ET
More than 3,000 “No Kings” demonstrations are scheduled for Saturday to oppose the U.S. military operation in Iran, the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration and President Trump’s economic agenda, according to organizers.
The planned nonviolent protests will stretch from coast to coast and include locations in remote Alaska, Puerto Rico and at least 12 planned gatherings in Hawaii. The movement also stretches beyond U.S. borders, with demonstrations scheduled in countries like Iceland, Kenya, Ecuador and Canada.
Organizers said that over five million people participated in the first “No Kings” day last summer on Trump’s birthday, June 14, and seven million people participated in demonstrations last October.
“No Kings” organizer Ezra Levin told NewsNation’s Katie Pavlich on Friday evening that the protests are open to “anybody in the country who opposes monarchical rule and authoritarianism.”
“This is absolutely not a rally for Kamala Harris voters or for Democrats,” Levin said. “This is a rally for Republicans and independents and Democrats and people who don’t care about the political system and don’t think it works for them.”
Lisa Gilbert, co-president of Public Citizen, said in a press release that Trump has “promoted violence, hatred, lawlessness and chaos across the country” under his leadership.
“Despite Trump and his administration’s incessant attacks on our communities and the rule of law, the No Kings movement has showcased the resilience of American communities, becoming a form of catharsis for the American people in a time of darkness,” Gilbert said.
She added, “As we approach our country’s 250th birthday, we urge all fellow Americans to join the No Kings movement as a show of patriotism and a vision of the country we deserve.”
A rally in St. Paul will draw celebrities and politicians, including Jane Fonda, Bruce Springsteen, Maggie Rogers, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Joan Baez, Minnesota Lt. Gov. Penny Flanagan (D), Tom Morello and state Attorney General Keith Ellison.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) said on Thursday that he plans to attend the protest in Minneapolis, the epicenter of the Trump administration’s large-scale immigration crackdown. Two Minnesota residents were fatally shot by federal agents in the city earlier this year, sparking calls for reform to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and sparking the ongoing partial government shutdown.
“We will never forget what happened here and we’re taking action against it,” Walz told MS NOW’s Chris Hayes on Thursday.
In addition to protesting immigration enforcement operations in places like the North Star State, Levin said protesters are speaking out against the Middle East conflict, which began a month ago after the U.S. and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran.
The “No Kings” organizer, who also serves as the co-executive director of the grassroots movement Indivisible, told NewsNation that the conflict was something “the vast majority of Americans did not want.”
A plurality of Americans in a recent Quinnipiac University poll said the U.S. operation against Iran is making the world “less safe.”
“We want this president to focus on making our lives better, not picking fights we don’t want, and if there is going to be a war, it’s Congress’s job to do that,” Levin told Pavlich.
https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/5805661-no-kings-protests-march-28-trump-iran-immigration/
