Anti-Trump ‘No Kings’ Protests To Compete Saturday With Trump’s Military Parade

Protesters across the country will take to the streets Saturday for “No Kings” rallies in more than 1,800 cities and towns to showcase resistance to President Trump as he hosts a military parade at Washington, D.C., marking the U.S. Army’s 250th birthday, Flag Day — and Mr. Trump’s 79th birthday.Organized by a coalition of left-wing activist groups, “No Kings” day bills itself as a “mass mobilization in response to increasing authoritarian excesses and corruption from President Trump.” Organizers anticipate this will be the largest anti-Trump mass protest day to date.“This country doesn’t belong to a king — and we’re not letting him throw himself a parade funded by tens of millions of our taxpayer dollars while stealing from us and stripping away our rights, our freedoms, and the programs our families rely on,” one of the protest organizers, a progressive Trump resistance group, Indivisible, said in a statement. “On June 14th, we’re coming together to send one clear message: No Thrones. No Crowns. No Kings.”U.S. Army vehicles, including M1 Abrams tanks and Bradley FIghting Vehicles, are loaded onto tractor trailer trucks in the CSX rail yard on June 9, 2025, in Jessup, Maryland. Chip Somodevilla/Getty ImagesMarches are planned in all 50 states and Mexico, according to a map on the “No Kings” website — but there will be no march in Washington, D.C. A co-executive director of Indivisible, Ezra Levin, told Newsweek the decision to skip the nation’s capital is to avoid appearing anti-military or unpatriotic.“I think it’s very important that we show up and embrace the flag,” Mr. Levin said. “No Kings” will be held on Flag Day, and Mr. Levin said he did not want to “cede the narrative of patriotism or the ownership of the flag to the right wing.”Saturday’s protests come as Mr. Trump deployed 4,000 National Guard troops and Marines to Los Angeles to quell violent protests there. Images of protesters burning cars while holding Mexican flags have gone viral. Mr. Trump warned from the Oval Office that any protests of his military parade would “be met with very big force.”The “No Kings” organizers expressly condemn violence in their press releases. “A core principle of all No Kings events is a commitment to nonviolent action. We expect all participants to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values,” the group says.The “No Kings” website lists nearly 200 sponsors of the protests, including the American Civil Liberties Union, Greenpeace, Planned Parenthood, Al Sharpton’s National Action Network, and two groups affiliated with the teachers’ union boss, Randi Weingarten. Ms. Weingarten held a Zoom town hall for protest attendees on Tuesday night.Crews install metal plates to help protect the street from tank damage during the upcoming military parade on June 10, 2025 in Washington, D.C. Kevin Dietsch/Getty ImagesThe protests also have the backing of a Walmart heiress, Christy Walton, who took out a full-page color ad in the New York Times this week urging Americans to “mobilize” for “No Kings.” “The honor, dignity, and integrity of our country are not for sale,” the ad says.Ms. Walton is now facing backlash from MAGA and calls for a Walmart boycott. Congresswoman Ana Paulina Luna posted to X, “Looks like the Walmart dynasty is big mad about China Tarrifs.” Kari Lake posted to X a picture of the ad and the comment, “Do you shop at Walmart?”There are a handful of marches planned for New York City on Saturday. Several of the Democratic mayoral candidates are expected to attend, as opposing Mr. Trump’s agenda has become a major issue in the race. The campaign of the city’s comptroller, Brad Lander, tells the Sun he will attend the march at Bryant Park. The Zellnor Myrie campaign says he is still finalizing his plans. Neither the Mamdani nor the Cuomo campaign responded to the Sun’s request for comment.Mr. Cuomo has attracted Trump donors to his campaign and has struggled to position himself as sufficiently anti-Trump while also attracting his Democratic voter base. He released a statement Tuesday on Mr. Trump’s deployment of troops to Los Angeles, condemning protester violence and Mr. Trump’s deportations and use of the military.“Trump wants Americans to believe that Democratic cities are home to violent illegal immigrants and out of control activists, and that therefore the unconstitutional and thuggish actions of ICE officials are somehow justified,” Mr. Cuomo said. “We must not play into Trump’s hands.”

Anti-Trump ‘No Kings’ Protests To Compete Saturday With Trump’s Military Parade

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