No Kings protests spread across the US as millions denounce President Donald Trump’s policies and vow to defend democracy and equal rights

The No Kings protests have gripped the United States, as millions of Americans take to the streets from New York to San Francisco to denounce President Donald Trump’s policies and warn against what organisers call a slide towards authoritarianism.

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The final day of rallies organised by the No Kings movement, a coalition of more than 300 groups, drew massive crowds on June 14, coinciding with Trump’s birthday and a military parade held in Washington.

It marked the largest wave of demonstrations since the Republican billionaire returned to the White House in January for his second term.

Four months on, the movement says over 2,600 protests have been planned across the country, with participation expected in the millions once again.

Deirdre Schifeling, chief political and advocacy officer at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), told reporters on Thursday that the rallies aimed to reaffirm America’s democratic values.

“We are a country of equals, a country of laws that apply to everyone, of due process and of democracy,” she said. “We will not be silenced.”

Leah Greenberg, co-founder of the Indivisible Project, condemned the Trump administration’s tactics, accusing it of “using the classic authoritarian playbook — threaten, smear and lie, scare people into submission.”

“But we will not be intimidated. We will not be cowed,” she vowed.

Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, described the protests as an “obligation to fight for the people in America,” stressing the need to defend democracy and civil liberties.

“We’re here to make sure this is a country moving forward — not backward,” she said.

Beyond New York and San Francisco, demonstrations are being held in Washington, Boston, Chicago, Atlanta, and New Orleans, along with hundreds of smaller towns and cities nationwide.

The No Kings movement has also inspired international solidarity events, with rallies planned in Toronto, Vancouver and Ottawa in neighbouring Canada.

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Organisers say the message is simple: the United States must remain a democracy guided by equality and the rule of law — not a nation ruled by a single man.