One of the largest protests in decades took place in the United States on Saturday. The event, called No Kings, attracted some seven million participants in more than 2,700 cities and towns across the country, according to organizers. As Reuters reported, it was a "the largest single-day, nationwide demonstration in modern American history".

The No Kings movement was founded in June 2025 in response to concerns about the increasing concentration of power in the hands of the executive and the weakening of democratic institutions. The first wave of protests took place symbolically on 14 June - President Donald Trump's birthday - and attracted around five million people.

According to the NoKings.org website, the main goal of the protest is to express opposition to "authoritarianism" and to remind people that "this country belongs to its people, not to its kings". Participants were asked to come in yellow clothing, which has become a symbol of unity and civic courage.

The course of the demonstrations

The protests across the United States were largely peaceful. There were marches, happenings and performances by artists in New York, Washington D.C., Los Angeles and smaller cities. According to Reuters, there were more than half a million people in New York's Times Square alone.

The atmosphere was described as lively and creative, with many people carrying banners reading "No thrones. No crowns. No kings." či "Democracy requires courage." Giant inflatable balloons depicting President Trump in royal robes have appeared in some places.

Although the actions were mostly non-violent, there were also concerns about possible surveillance of the demonstrators. According to Reuters, facial recognition technology or drones may have been deployed, sparking debate about the extent of government surveillance.

Reaction of the President and his supporters

President Trump reacted to the protest with detachment. On Fox News, he said: "They say they call me king. I am not a king." Dodal také, že "many people just want their day in the sun" and that they respect the right of Americans to express their opinions.

Shortly afterwards, his campaign released a satirical video in which Trump is depicted as a monarch wearing a crown, waving to protesters from an airplane. The president's supporters shared the video as an ironic response, while critics deemed it a provocation.

Republican politicians such as the Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnsonwho described the event as "hate America rally" - tedy "America-hating rally". According to Politico, Johnson claimed that organizers may include "radikální skupiny" linked to extremist circles. "I encourage Americans to keep an eye on who is behind these protests. It's not about democracy, it's about power," uvedl.

Similarly, some Republican senators have called the demonstrations "a political theatre piece" before the election and criticized their "antitrumpovskou" rétoriku.

View of the organizers and participants

Representatives of the No Kings movement, on the other hand, denied that this was a political action directed against the President personally. "Our goal is not to overthrow the government, but to remind you that power must remain in the hands of the people," said the organizer Rachel Mendozová in an interview with The Guardian.

Organizers said the event was attended by people across the political spectrum - including former Republican voters, veterans and faith communities. That, they said, made the protest different from traditional partisan demonstrations.

According to the Washington Post, this is "the largest civil society mobilization against a sitting president in modern U.S. history". The protest could have a long-term impact not only on public opinion but also on the pre-election dynamics.

While critics of the president say the action reveals fears of authoritarianism, his supporters stress that Trump was democratically elected and that the protests represent "trying to undermine a legitimate government".

Analysts agree that No Kings reflects the deep polarization of American society. For some it is a symbolic defence of democracy, for others a political attack disguised as civic activism.

The No Kings Day protest on October 18, 2025 will go down in American history as an extraordinary moment of public expression. Seven million people took to the streets to express their concept of democracy - whether in opposition to the president or in defense of Republican principles.

As a commentator at The Atlantic noted, "at a time when Americans agree on almost nothing, the street remains their common language."

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