A map of the planned "No Kings" protests across the U.S. on Saturday, Oct. 18. (nokings.org)

'No Kings' demonstrations are planned across the U.S. tomorrow to protest the Trump administration

· Yahoo News

Demonstrators will take to the streets nationwide tomorrow for the “No Kings Day of Peaceful Action” against the Trump administration’s policies. Organizers believe that the president is acting more like a king rather than the leader of a democracy.

President Trump “is doubling down — sending militarized agents into our communities, silencing voters, and handing billionaires giveaways while families struggle,” the main page states on the “No Kings” website.

Organizers say this weekend’s series of mass peaceful protests will build on the momentum from the June 14 “No Kings Day of Defiance,” which was formed in response to the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary military parade in Washington, D.C., and also coincided with Trump’s 79th birthday.

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On Saturday, “millions will gather for a peaceful demonstration to stand together in the belief that America belongs to its people, not to kings,” organizers said.

Meanwhile, several congressional Republicans are dubbing the mass “No Kings” protests as “Hate America” rallies. GOP members are also accusing Democrats of prolonging the federal government shutdown until after the rallies to appease liberal groups that have criticized Democratic lawmakers for not doing enough to resist Trump’s changes to the federal government.

More than 5 million people across all 50 states showed up for the first “No Kings” protests on June 14 at about 2,100 peaceful events. This Saturday’s nationwide march is projected to be even bigger. Organizers say there are more than 2,500 events scheduled across all 50 states on Oct. 18, including big cities and small towns.

“We do not expect there to be any need for the National Guard to be deployed, but if the Trump administration attempts to do that as a way to intimidate peaceful protests, we are prepared for that,” Deirdre Schifeling of the American Civil Liberties Union said at a Thursday press conference.

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Here’s what else to know about the event.

What is ‘No Kings’?

“No Kings” is the name for the organized protests that are set to happen on Saturday, Oct. 18. It’s not the name of a specific group but rather a coalition of partners who are helping to organize the upcoming protests. There are over 200 progressive groups listed on the website as partners who have helped organize upcoming events and have sent members to work with local partners throughout the United States.

Throughout the “No Kings” website, there is an emphasis that the demonstrations should remain peaceful. “A core principle behind 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 and to act lawfully at these events. Weapons of any kind, including those legally permitted, should not be brought to events.”

Where and when are the protests happening?

There are planned protests happening in all 50 states at varying times on Saturday. The “No Kings” website allows people to register and organize their own rally if there isn’t one happening in their area.

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These are the locations of major “No Kings” rallies:

What the Trump administration and Republicans are saying about the protests

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said during a press conference on Wednesday that he believes Democrats will “come to their senses soon” to end the government shutdown after the “No Kings” demonstrations. “But ‘No Kings’ equal no paychecks,” Bessent said.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy claimed, without evidence, Monday on Fox News that the millions of protesters expected to turn out this weekend are “part of antifa, paid protesters.” Antifa is a left-wing anti-fascist group that the Trump administration has designated as a domestic terror organization.

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Duffy also claimed that the protesters are controlling the actions of Democratic leaders, like Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York. “Democrats want to wait for a big rally of a ‘No Kings’ protest when the bottom line is who is running the show in the Senate?” said Duffy. “Chuck Schumer’s not running the show. The ‘No Kings’ protesters or organizers are running the show.”

Rep. Pat Harrigan, a Republican from North Carolina, appeared on Fox Business and said a natural “off-ramp” for Democrats to end the shutdown is after the “No Kings” protests this weekend. Harrigan described them as a “blue hair, anthropomorphic experiment that’s going to happen up here in Washington, D.C.”

Republican leadership, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, and House GOP Whip Tom Emmer, is dubbing the protests as “hate America” rallies.

Johnson told Fox News on Oct. 10 that he’s “had it” with Democrats over the government shutdown and accused them of stalling it until after the rallies.

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“They’re playing games with real people’s lives. The theory we have right now, they have a ‘hate America’ rally that's scheduled for Oct. 18 on the National Mall. It's all the pro-Hamas wing and the antifa people; they’re all coming out,” Johnson said. “It’s being told to us that [Democrats] won’t be able to reopen the government until after that rally because they can’t face their rabid base.”

In response to Johnson’s comments, the “No Kings” coalition issued the following statement:

“Speaker Johnson is running out of excuses for keeping the government shut down. Instead of reopening the government, preserving affordable healthcare, or lowering costs for working families, he’s attacking millions of Americans who are peacefully coming together to say that America belongs to its people, not to kings. We’ll see everyone on October 18.”