From coast to coast, millions gathered for the No Kings protests—dwarfing Trump’s birthday parade with signs that mocked authoritarianism and championed democracy.
Thousands of No Kings protests swept across the United States on Saturday, June 14. The protests intentionally coincided with a lavish, Trump-ordered U.S. Army 250th anniversary parade, Flag Day and the president’s 79th birthday.
From big cities, to small rural towns, representing every corner of the country, between 4 and 6 million people in more than 2,000 locations attended No Kings protests across the country, making it one of the largest national protests in U.S. history.
Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C., Trump’s military parade was “underwhelming,” according to reporters at The New York Times. According to the Associated Press, attendance fell far short of the expected 200,000.
At the No Kings protests, signs criticized many of Trump’s policies, including mass deportations of immigrants without due process; ongoing efforts to dismantle the civil service and weaken government agencies; attacks on academia and more.
“Today what I saw was a boisterous, peaceful display of First Amendment rights,” Ezra Levin, co-founder and co-executive director of the nonprofit Indivisible, told NPR.
Here are some of our favorite signs from those “boisterous” protesters.
West Coast
A reference to the right-wing rallying cry against Black Lives Matter, this important sign draws attention to the devaluation of immigrants and other groups by the current administration. Laid over a Mexican flag, it reminds viewers of the attacks immigrants face, which are often life-threatening. (Jay L Clendenin / Getty Images)
Since Musk accused Trump of affiliation with notorious child sex offender and sex-trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, there has been renewed focus on the files and Trump’s history of alleged sexual assault. (Emersen Panigrahi)
Ms. research editor Tory Davis (far left) in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles. (Instagram)
Downtown Los Angeles. (Jay L Clendenin / Getty Images)Los Angeles. (Ali Matin / Middle East Images and AFP via Getty Images)Downtown Los Angeles. (Jay L Clendenin / Getty Images)Los Angeles. (Ali Matin / Middle East Images via AFP)Los Angeles. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
South
Midwest
Opinion: Trump hates it but Americans are very much united. No King protests proof. | Opinion https://t.co/Bm6eRHwNKG
New York City. (Selcuk Acar / Anadolu via Getty Images)New York City. (Michael M. Santiago / Getty Images)New York City. (Pablo Monsalve / VIEWpress via Getty Images)
Roxana Behdad is an editorial intern for Ms. and a rising senior at Cornell University, majoring in political science and minoring in creative writing. Her specific interests include political and feminist theory.
Ava Blando is a guest writer and Editorial Intern with Ms. She is currently majoring in Government at Smith College with a Concentration in Community Engagement and Social Change and a Certificate in Reproductive Health, Rights, and Justice. Ava is an aspiring impact litigator with experience in state and federal policy and government, nonprofit administration, environmental organizing, and journalism. In her free time, she enjoys songwriting and playing guitar.
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