Anti-Trump, anti-war ‘No Kings’ rallies take place across the US in protest of Iran war, Trump policies

Demonstrations against U.S. President Donald Trump took place across the United States on Saturday, as people gathered to protest the Iran war, rising gas prices, and Trump’s immigration enforcement policies. 

According to the organizers of the “No Kings” movement, over 3,200 events had been planned for the weekend in all 50 states. 

While large rallies were planned for major cities, such as New York City, Washington, Dallas, and Minneapolis, the organizers said that around two-thirds of protests would be happening outside major cities. 

“At least 8 million people gathered today at more than 3,300 events across all 50 states,” the No Kings organization said in a press release after the demonstrations. The group also said there were about one million more participants and 600 more events compared to the No Kings demonstrations held in October. 

According to the organizers, Saturday’s protests were an attempt to rally people against the U.S. and Israeli military operations in Iran, which were launched on Feb. 28 in a bid to destroy Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs and destabilize its regime. 

Morgan Taylor, 45, who attended the Washington protest with her 12-year-old son, told Reuters she was enraged by Trump’s military action in Iran, which she called a “stupid war.”

“Nobody’s attacking us,” Taylor said. “We don’t need to be there.” 

Other attendees protested Trump’s aggressive immigration enforcement actions, which have included massive deportations. 

While the group bills itself as a nonpartisan organization, Democratic and left-leaning speakers featured at many of the protests, as in Minneapolis, where Democrat Governor Tim Walz, and Senator Bernie Sanders (Vermont), addressed the crowds. 

"We will not allow this country to descend into authoritarianism or oligarchy in America," Sanders said. "We, the people, will rule.” 

The National Republican Congressional Committee criticized Democratic politicians and candidates for supporting the rallies. 

“These Hate America Rallies are where the far-left’s most violent, deranged fantasies get a microphone and House Democrats get their marching orders," committee spokesperson Mike Marinella said in a statement. 

A report by Fox News found that a network of about 500 groups with an estimated $3 billion in combined annual revenues is behind the "No Kings" protest movement, including communist groups. 

The primary group responsible for starting the protests, Indivisible, is funded by billionaire George Soros, a significant contributor to leftist causes, while a network of socialist and communist organizations funded by Neville Roy Singham, an American tech tycoon and avowed communist living in China, was also involved in sending groups to the protests. 

At the same time, for the first time since the Gaza War began, groups of protesters gathered at several places in Israel to protest the Iran war and the coalition government’s attempts to pass elements of the controversial Judicial Reform agenda. 

The main event took place at Tel Aviv's Habima Plaza, where a protest against the war was held without prior authorization. 

Israel Police said an assessment of the situation was conducted with Home Front Command, which determined that the gathering posed a real danger to human life, and the protest was ruled illegal. 

Police then ordered the dispersal of the demonstration. Police said that 21 protesters were arrested across Israel after failing to heed dispersal orders. In Tel Aviv, 13 people were arrested, and another 8 were arrested in Haifa, after protesters did not respond to police instructions to disperse. 

The police statement emphasized the right to protest, but noted that demonstrators would not be allowed to disturb the peace, block roads, or engage in conduct that could endanger public safety. 

While sporadic, small protests have taken place since the start of the Iran war, Saturday’s protests appear to be the first attempt to gather larger crowds. However, the events were much smaller than the large protests from 2023, during the height of the Judicial Reform protests, or the hostage rallies during the Gaza War. 

Polling by Israeli media has found that there is broad support for the Iran war amongst Jewish Israelis. 

An Israel Democracy Institute survey earlier this month found 93% of Jewish Israelis support the U.S.-Israeli operations, while only 26% of Arab Israelis support the war.