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"We're going to show up in the largest peaceful protest in modern American history," said Indivisible's co-founder. "Millions will come together in more cities than ever to say collectively: No kings ever in America."
As President Donald Trump and his allies continue to target immigrants, journalists, and anyone else critical of the increasingly authoritarian administration, organizers are gearing up for another round of "No Kings" rallies across the United States, which they expect will draw even more demonstrators than a similar day of action in June.
"Sustained, broad-based, peaceful, pro-democracy grassroots movements win. Trump wanted a coronation on his birthday, and what he got instead was millions of people standing up to say NO KINGS," Indivisible co-founder and co-executive director Ezra Levin said in a Tuesday statement. "No Kings Day on June 14 was an historic demonstration of people power, and it's grown into a broad, diverse movement."
"While Trump escalates his attack with occupations of American cities and secret police forces terrorizing American communities, normal everyday people across this country are showing up every single day with courage and defiance. On October 18, we're going to show up in the largest peaceful protest in modern American history," he added. "Millions will come together in more cities than ever to say collectively: No kings ever in America."
Indivisible is planning next month's peaceful protests alongside groups including the ACLU, American Federation of Teachers, Common Defense, 50501, Human Rights Campaign, League of Conservation Voters, MoveOn, National Nurses United, Public Citizen, Service Employees International Union, and United We Dream.
IT’S OFFICIAL: We now have more protests planned for October 18 than there were back in June.It’s not even October yet but you’ve already put 2,100 events on the No Kings map.We hope to see you at the largest day of peaceful protest in American history: www.nokings.org?SQF_SOURCE=i... #NoKings
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— Indivisible ❌👑 (@indivisible.org) September 30, 2025 at 9:43 AM
Organizers announced the second Not Kings mobilization earlier this month. As a federal government shutdown loomed on Tuesday, they said that over 2,110 protests are now planned across all 50 states—more than those that drew over 5 million people to the streets in June.
"We the People of the United States of America reject the Trump regime's repeated assaults on our freedoms," said 50501 national press coordinator Hunter Dunn. "This administration has invaded our cities, dismantled our social services, and tossed hard-working Americans into concentration camps. He has sacrificed our Constitution on the altar of fascism. On October 18th, the American people will gather together to practice two time-honored American traditions: nonviolent protest and anti-fascism."
Trump has deployed the National Guard in Los Angeles, California, and Washington, DC, and this week is moving to do the same in Portland, Oregon, and Chicago, Illinois—where US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are already carrying out the deadly "Operation Midway Blitz" as part of Trump's national push for mass deportations. The administration is also specifically targeting pro-Palestinian foreign students, which a federal judge on Tuesday rebuked with what one reporter called "the most scathing legal rebuke of the Trump era."
Also on Tuesday, during an unusual gathering of US military leadership in Virginia, Trump declared that the country is "under invasion from within" and generals should use American cities as "training grounds," while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pledged to overhaul the inspector general process: "No more frivolous complaints, no more anonymous complaints, no more repeat complaints, no more smearing reputations, no more endless waiting, no more legal limbo, no more sidetracking careers, no more walking on eggshells!"
Trump seems to think that the National Guard is some pawn he can play whenever he wants to feel powerful. But let's be clear about what he's doing: he is using the US military against its own people. This is authoritarianism.
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— Public Citizen (@publiccitizen.bsky.social) September 30, 2025 at 9:58 AM
Meanwhile, Jacob Thomas, a military veteran and communications director for Common Defense, said that "as veterans and patriots who swore an oath to protect and defend the Constitution and the freedoms that it enshrines, we are appalled at the lengths President Trump and his billionaire buddies have gone to to strip our neighbors and communities of the rights, dignity, and freedoms owed to everyone residing in this country."
"We must all do our part to fight back against his authoritarianism and military occupation of cities," he continued. "We cannot allow a wannabe dictator to destroy our democracy, gut veteran healthcare, keep people from accessing the ballot box, and tank our economy. We must all join together in solidarity to fight back and secure our freedoms. Two hundred and fifty years ago, Americans stood up to a tyrant king, generations later our great-grandparents defeated fascism abroad. Now it is up to us to defeat fascism at home."
"You can... send a message to ABC/Disney that we won't stand for cowardice and corruption," said progressive organization Indivisible.
Disney is facing increased boycott calls over its decision to suspend ABC talk show host Jimmy Kimmel after being threatened by the Trump-appointed chairman of the Federal Communications Commission.
Progressive advocacy organization Indivisible on Friday encouraged all supporters to cancel their subscriptions to Disney-owned TV streaming services, such as Disney+, ESPN+, and Hulu.
Indivisible also recommended that supporters send messages directly to Disney and ABC letting them know their displeasure with their decision to cave under threats from the Trump administration.
"You can... send a message to ABC/Disney that we won’t stand for cowardice and corruption," they said. "If you’re canceling Disney services, postponing a vacation to a Disney theme park, or taking some other action in response to their corporate cravenness, be sure to let them know."
Indivisible is circulating a petition lobbying congressional Democrats to launch an investigation into Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr's pressure campaign to get ABC to take Kimmel off the air.
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) on Thursday filed a motion to to subpoena Carr to testify about his efforts to get Kimmel suspended, although this was voted down by congressional Republicans shortly afterward. Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, also said on Thursday that he was opening an investigation into the potential financial aspects of Carr’s pressure campaign on ABC.
50501: The People's Movement echoed Indivisible's call to boycott Disney and shared a document letting supporters know all the ways they could send Disney a message.
While much of 50501's recommendations were similar to Indivisible's, the group also pointed to the role played by Sinclair Broadcast Group, which is ABC's largest affiliate, in pushing to get Kimmel off the air.
"Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair Broadcast Group own the largest number of local ABC affiliates," 50501 noted. "Nexstar is currently seeking approval from the FCC for business deals. You know who else is seeking approval, ESPN to buy the NFL Network. In other words these media giants have every incentive to bend the knee to authoritarian pressure coming from the FCC and the administration to get their deals across the finish line."
Progressive organizations weren't the only ones calling out Disney on Friday, as former Disney CEO Michael Eisner took to social media platform X to castigate American business, legal, and academic elites for folding in the face of government pressure.
"Where has all the leadership gone?" he asked rhetorically. "If not for university presidents, law firm managing partners, and corporate chief executives standing up against bullies, who then will step up for the First Amendment?"
He then turned his attention specifically to the Kimmel case.
"The 'suspending indefinitely' of Jimmy Kimmel immediately after the chairman of the FCC's aggressive yet hollow threatening of the Disney Company is yet another example of out-of-control intimidation," he said. "Maybe the Constitution should have said, 'Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, except in one’s political or financial self-interest.'"
"The American people are fed up with Trump's pathetic attempt at wearing the crown," said one event organizer.
The coalition of progressive organizations that helped organize the nationwide "No Kings" protests this summer are ramping up for a potentially even bigger event in the fall.
The organizations pushed out new publicity on Monday about the "No Kings 2" demonstrations scheduled to take place across the country on October 18. The planned demonstrations come as the Trump administration is accelerating its plans to send the National Guard into US cities and continues to send masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents into immigrant communities.
Sponsors of the No Kings 2 events include ACLU, American Federation of Teachers, Common Defense, 50501, Human Rights Campaign, Indivisible, League of Conservation Voters, MoveOn, National Nurses United, Public Citizen, SEIU, and United We Dream Action.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Indivisible co-founder Ezra Levin said that he expected this fall's No Kings sequel to be even bigger than the first one, which drew an estimated 5 million people into the streets across more than 2,000 events. Levin also outlined the importance of hitting a critical threshold for anti-Trump demonstrations.
"Experts in authoritarianism tell us, based on research, that you need 3.5% of the population engaged, in a sustained way, to successfully push back against an authoritarian regime," he said. "In the American context, that's about 11 or 12 million people. For No Kings 1, we got about halfway there. And we have funneled a lot of those people into our trainings around strategic noncooperation. But we need to come together again."
Jacob Thomas, a United States Armed Forces veteran and communications director for "No Kings 2" sponsor Common Defense, said in a statement that a common theme that has united the organizations is the fight against US President Donald Trump's authoritarian ambitions.
"We must all do our part to fight back against his authoritarianism and military occupation of cities," he said. "We cannot allow a wannabe dictator to destroy our democracy, gut veteran healthcare, keep people from accessing the ballot box, and tank our economy. We must all join together in solidarity to fight back and secure our freedoms."
Human Rights Campaign president Kelley Robinson said the protests were necessary because Trump's actions were direct attacks on the American dream of "freedom afforded to all people."
"Since taking office, he has tried to erode our freedoms and amass power for himself, censoring history, undermining our voting rights, defying the rule of law, and stripping people of basic rights simply because of who they are or who they love," she said. "But this country does not and will never have a king. The power of the people is and will continue to be greater than the man obsessed with keeping power for himself."
Lisa Gilbert, co-president of Public Citizen, ticked off a list of grievances against the president to argue that mass protests against him are needed now more than ever.
"In less than 10 months of his presidency, Trump has ticked off every box of a king's playbook," she said. "He has plastered his face on banners across DC, weaponized National Guard troops against our communities, disappeared people or thrown them out of the country without due process, attempted to sabotage elections and erode our democracy, and trivialized the power of Congress and the courts. He has violated the Constitution over and over again. The American people are fed up with Trump's pathetic attempt at wearing the crown."
The first set of "No Kings" protests came on Trump's 79th birthday, on the same day he put on a massive military parade that cost $30 million to produce.