Protesters at the anti-Trump"No Kings" protest in the United States

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Thousands of protesters gathered in cities and towns across the United States on Saturday, 18, to protest against a president they consider to be acting like a king, as part of a massive day-long demonstration against the administration of Donald Trump.

By noon, a large crowd had packed New York City's Times Square amid a carnival atmosphere with colorful signs, one announcing:"I pledge allegiance to no king." The protesters wore costumes, including the inflatable frog suit that activists in Portland, Oregon, have begun using to mock the White House's attempt to portray activists as anarchists or domestic terrorists.

“No more Trump!” the crowd chanted as they waved American flags.

Known as No Kings Day, the events are building on a previous demonstration in June that drew substantial turnouts at about 2,000 rallies across all 50 states. This time, about 600 additional protests are scheduled, mostly in rural areas, said Eunic Epstein-Ortiz, national spokesperson for the coalition behind the event.

In Atlanta, thousands gathered at a downtown parking lot, where the mood was calm, but participants expressed frustration with the Trump administration's tactics.

Among them was Catherine Browning, a British citizen wearing a bright green frog jumpsuit.

“I really felt like I needed to be here today because so many horrible things are happening to so many people,” she said, citing actions by federal immigration agents that are “dehumanizing people.”

Browning, 55, said she now carries her green card with her and has not applied for citizenship for fear of being arrested in immigration court and deported. She said she fears being separated from her husband and son, who are American.

In Madison County, Kentucky, where President Donald Trump easily won the last three general elections, protesters lined the sidewalk in front of the local courthouse. As drivers in passing cars jeered and shouted pro-Trump slogans, protesters waved signs and American flags.

Organizers say the crowds are fueled by Trump's actions in recent months, including his role in the government shutdown, his attacks on higher education, his pressure on the Justice Department to prosecute political enemies, the immigration raids, federal troops in cities, and the"big, beautiful law."

“I think this will be a stronger push than the last one,” said Hunter Dunn of 50501, a progressive group that helped organize the event.

“The intensity of the action will fuel the intensity of the reaction or counter-demonstration,” he said.

Last June's No King Day was one of the largest days of protest in U.S. history, Pressman said, adding that an analysis showed protest events now occur in a wider range of counties — including those where the majority voted Republican — than during Trump's first term.

Organizers, which include national and local groups and well-known progressive groups like Indivisible and MoveOn, say previous demonstrations have helped spread the message and that they have received public support from a variety of celebrities, including actor Robert De Niro.

“We are rising up again this time, raising our voices non-violently to declare: no king,” De Niro said in a video.

The phrase is a reference to King George III, who exercised his power over the American colonies seeking freedom. The coalition behind No King Day claims that Trump is overseeing a similar authoritarian government. The central tenet of the protests is nonviolence, and organizers are trained in de-escalation.

Republican leaders denounced the demonstration, blaming it for prolonging the government shutdown and calling it a"hate-America rally." They also claimed, without evidence, that protesters were being paid to attend.

"It's the whole pro-Hamas wing and, you know, the antifa people," House Speaker Mike Johnson said last week on Fox News."They're all leaving."

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Fox Business: “You know, ‘no king’ means no paychecks. No paychecks and no government.”

The previous event was held on the day of a military parade in Washington celebrating the Army's 250th anniversary. It was also Trump's 79th birthday.