On Saturday, October 18th, millions of people gathered worldwide for the second “No Kings Day” protest. This protest was one of the largest single-day demonstrations in modern American history. But what exactly is it?
“No Kings Day” was originally a single-day event meant to directly oppose the Trump administration. The “No Kings” movement formed with many Americans growing unhappy with Donald Trump’s dictator-like behavior.
What sparked “No Kings Day”
Before Trump even took office, many Americans expressed worry about a Trump presidency resembling a dictatorship. Trump did little to ease these concerns when he claimed that he wouldn’t be a dictator “other than day one.” While some voters brushed this off as another one of Trump’s absurd offhand comments, others were concerned.
During his first day as president, Trump fulfilled his day-one promise, signing 26 executive orders. These orders ranged from eliminating DEI to closing the United States border to declaring that there are only two genders. However, the orders didn’t stop after day one. After his first 100 days in office, Trump had signed 142 executive orders, the most in American history.
People nationwide opposed these actions from President Trump, saying that he was acting as a king rather than a president. The last straw seemed to be when Trump announced a parade for the 250th anniversary of the U.S.military. This parade was held on June 14th, 2025, which also coincided with Trump’s 79th birthday. In response to this parade, the “No Kings Day” protest began.
The first protest
The original “No Kings Day” protest took place on the same day as Trump’s military parade. An estimated 5 million people attended protests across the world. Citizens of other countries marched in protests similarly called “No Tyrants” and “No Dictators”. Nearly everyone in Trump’s circle dismissed the protests and labeled them as a “hate America” campaign.
Despite Trump’s refusal to acknowledge the concerns of the millions of Americans who participated in “No Kings Day”, it was clear that this was a substantial movement.
Back to business as usual
Little changed within the Trump administration after the initial “No Kings Day”. In fact, it seemed that tensions were growing higher across the nation. Since June, the U.S. job market has been in turmoil, with very little job growth reported in the past 4 months. In addition to this, the government shut down on October 1, cutting into the paychecks of nearly 1 million federal employees. The Trump administration has attempted to blame these economic disasters solely on Democrats, despite having control of both Congress and the Senate.
While economic tensions are certainly rising, social and political tensions have reached new heights. In an attempt to exert his authority on immigration, Trump has deployed ICE agents across the United States. Masked ICE agents have been filmed ravaging through communities, leaving many American families feeling unsafe in their own communities. Some have even nicknamed these ICE agents an “American Gestapo”.
While everyday Americans struggle with the economic and political challenges taking a toll on their daily lives, the Trump administration has turned its efforts toward a $300 million renovation project at the White House. The fact that Americans are struggling to provide for their families while Trump is gathering wealthy donors for his ballroom has only emboldened the comparisons between Trump and a king.
A growing movement
The second “No Kings Day” protest took place on October 18th, 2025, eighteen days into the government shutdown. This time, the event drew approximately 7 million people in attendance, making it one of the largest single-day demonstrations in American history. For the second time this year, people gathered in cities throughout the world to protest Trump’s actions as president.
The increase of nearly 2 million protesters since June shows that this movement is only growing as the Trump administration continues. While the rhetoric from Trump’s MAGA coalition has been largely the same as the last “No Kings Day” protest, things got a little weird on social media.
Social media fallout
On Saturday, during the protest, Trump posted an AI video of himself flying a fighter jet, dropping feces on the heads of protesters. One of the protesters depicted in this video was a left-wing influencer named Harry Sisson. Sisson took to Twitter (X) to call out Trump for this video, saying, “Can a reporter please ask Trump why he posted an AI video of himself dropping poop on me from a fighter jet?”
To add to the absurdity, Vice President J.D. Vance responded to Sisson’s tweet, saying, “I’ll ask him for you, Harry.” This social media beef between the Trump administration and online political influencers has left many Americans dumbfounded.
What this means for the future
Despite Trump’s questionable response to the protest, one thing is clear: Americans are unhappy with this administration. The growing number of protesters within the past four months indicates a much bigger movement that the Trump administration will not be able to brush off much longer.
Prominent journalist and political commentator Rachel Maddow noted that the “No Kings” movement is nearing the 3.5% rule. This rule says that if you are able to mobilize 3.5% of the population, then your movement is very likely to succeed. For the United States, this means getting a little over 12 million Americans involved. With a 2 million participant increase in four months, this threshold could be attainable.
If Americans are upset with the current administration, it is imperative that they make their voices heard. Protests like “No Kings Day” put the power in the hands of the people to enact the change they want to see.
