Why new and seasoned protesters alike say they came out to ‘No Kings’ rallies across the country
By Zoe Sottile, CNN
(CNN) — Jean Fujiu’s choice to attend a “No Kings” rally in Chicago stemmed from her own family’s experience of injustice: Her parents were incarcerated in prison camps used to confine Japanese Americans during World War II.
“I grew up with this legacy for social justice, both my father and my mother, and so it’s important for me to carry that on in my generation — to stand up for rights for everyone, not just ourselves,” she said.
Fujiu was one of many demonstrators who filled streets across the country Saturday, waving signs criticizing President Donald Trump’s administration and its policies. Protests popped up in all 50 states and even appeared overseas as far as Italy, France, Germany and Spain.
Saturday’s day of protest was the third of its kind, following similar country-wide demonstrations last year in June and October. Protesters marched in the thousands in major cities including New York City, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Minneapolis, while smaller demonstrations also snaked through suburbs and rural communities, including in Republican-led states.
Almost half the day’s protests took place in red states or a “battleground area,” organizers said. The diversity and breadth of the rallies reflect a “very intentional” push to organize beyond traditional Democratic strongholds, said Ezra Levin, co-founder of the Indivisible Project, which helped organize protests.
Organizers and police said the demonstrations were largely peaceful. Seventy-five people were arrested, mostly for failure to disperse, after a small group gathered outside of a federal building in downtown Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Police Department told CNN. And Trump supporters verbally clashed with protesters in West Palm Beach, Florida.
When asked about the “No Kings” events, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told CNN: “The only people who care about these Trump Derangement Therapy Sessions are the reporters who are paid to cover them.”
For demonstrators, democracy, the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, the high cost of living and the war in Iran were top of mind.
Here’s what protesters had to say about what brought them into the streets:
‘Democracy is under threat’
Tom Arndorfer biked to Minneapolis from Edina, Minnesota, to attend a rally because, he said, “democracy is under threat.”
“It’s absolutely tragic what’s happening in this country and around the world,” Arndorfer, who held a sign reading “Elvis is the only king!” told CNN affiliate KARE. “And I just want my voice to be heard with other people.”
Arndorfer said he started attending protests in the wake of an ICE agent fatally shooting Renee Good in January.
‘I see the injustices going on’
Also in Chicago, veteran Chris Holy and his son, Nicholas Holy, told CNN they’ve become so vexed with the Trump administration they felt compelled to protest for the first time.
“I see the injustices going on, in my opinion, what’s happening to the people in our nation, and I wanted to be here to voice my dissatisfaction with them,” Chris Holy said. The father-son duo said they plan to attend more protests in the future.
Chris Holy added that he wants “to celebrate with my son, hopefully bringing a change of a new government, one day. And just be a voice for the people.”
Nicholas Holy echoed his father’s sentiment.
“When you see things going wrong in the community, when you see your fellow citizens being attacked, it feels good to give a voice and to speak up,” Nicholas Holy told CNN.
‘We should be hopeful and not afraid’
Fedrick Ingram, secretary-treasurer for the American Federation of Teachers, told CNN affiliate KATU the union attended a Portland, Oregon, rally to “make sure that we spread the word that we should be hopeful and not afraid.”
Asked if he felt hopeful with the turnout, Ingram said, “I do, oh my gosh,” adding the protest gave him a renewed sense of faith in the country.
“We’ve had bad laws before and we’ve had bad politicians, and we’ve always been able to get ourselves out of that by sticking together,” Ingram said.
He added, “The way that we do that is to speak truth to power, get the right information and go to the ballot box.”
‘We are all against war’
Tooraj Modrass chose to brave near-90 degree weather to attend a Los Angeles rally because “we all are against war.”
“We don’t want Trump or Israel bombing Iran, destroy our infrastructure, destroy everything,” the 70-year-old retiree told Reuters. “That’s why I am here, I’m against war.”
‘To support ICE being abolished’
Riz Hortega attended a Chicago demonstration in one of the inflatable costumes that have become a whimsical symbol of resistance to the Trump administration.
Her costume? A depiction of the president as a baby.
“I would actually like to see him step down, and that would probably be the best thing for this country and the world,” Hortega said.
“I’m here also to support ICE being abolished, to be honest with you, because I’m Mexican, and I believe that Mexicans have a place here,” she said. “We’ve been here for a long time. We’ve proven that we’re hard workers, and that’s all we’re here to do.”
‘People can’t afford to eat, now gas has gone up’
Theresa Gunnell called attention to what she framed as inequality between the president and ordinary Americans.
“All Trump is doing is … making himself wealthy while taking away from regular Americans,” the 66-year-old told Reuters at a Los Angeles rally.
She accused the administration of prioritizing tax cuts over health care in the “big beautiful bill.”
“Now there’s a lot of people that are kicked out of their health care, people can’t afford to eat, now gas has gone up.”
‘I recognize fascists when I see them’
Jennifer Wilkens was inspired to join a protest in San Diego because of her own background.
“Well, I immigrated from Germany, and so I recognize fascists when I see them,” she told Reuters.
Wearing a Statue of Liberty costume and wielding a sign that read “Due process for all,” she said, “I’m always reminded of people not standing up in the 1930s in Germany and I feel like we have to do something, we have to fight this or otherwise we’ll just lose our country.”
The White House has dismissed comparisons of the president to fascists as inflammatory and inaccurate.
Social Security and Medicaid
Ginny is no stranger to protesting.
The 81-year-old started demonstrating over 50 years ago during the anti-Vietnam War movement. She joined the throngs of protesters who filled Times Square in New York City Saturday alongside her family.
She emphasized the importance of Social Security and Medicaid, which she said Trump “is trying to take away.” The sweeping tax reform bill, dubbed the “big beautiful bill” by the president, which passed in May, included deep cuts to Medicaid and food assistance.
Reflecting on the differences between the Vietnam War era and present day, Ginny added she believes nothing compares to the state of the country today.
“We were suffering then,” she said. “But not like we are now.”
Celebrities, politicians join in
The huge crowds across the country included some familiar faces.
Actress and activist Jane Fonda, singer Joan Baez, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont spoke at a rally in the state capitol in Minnesota.
Rock legend Bruce Springsteen also took the stage in Minnesota, which has been rocked by protests after two people were killed by federal agents amid an immigration crackdown in the Twin Cities.
“This reactionary nightmare and these invasions of American cities will not stand,” he said before performing his newest protest anthem, “Streets of Minneapolis.”
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CNN’s Veronica Miracle, Nic F. Anderson, Sophia Peyser and Donie O’Sullivan, Danya Gainor, Sarah Moon, Julia Vargas Jones, Diego Mendoza, Carolyn Sung and Shimon Prokupecz contributed to this report.
