No Kings protests across US kick off with National Guard on standby

Planned protests against President Donald Trump have begun in cities across the United States.

The protest in New York City’s iconic Times Square was filled with thousands of people not long after it began Saturday morning.

The streets, sidewalks, and even the entrances of metro stations were full of people holding banners with slogans such as “Democracy, Not Monarchy” and “The Constitution is not optional.”

Sections of the crowd regularly chanted slogans such as “This is what democracy looks like” while an almost constant drumbeat boomed in the background, along with rattles and noisemakers.

But while the atmosphere at the rally in New York and other cities such as Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles was almost party-like, Trump’s allies were accusing protesters of aligning with the far-left Antifa movement and denouncing what they called a “hate America rally.”

Organizers and protesters on Saturday insist events were peaceful.

Helicopters and drones were seen flying overhead in New York City and police stood aside.

An organizer over a loudspeaker announced that 100,000 people showed up today, but it was unclear whether he meant around Times Square or across the city’s five boroughs, where smaller rallies and events are also being held.

A police officer standing next to him estimated that more than 20,000 people marched toward 7th Avenue.

Freelance writer and editor Beth Zasloff said she protested in New York because she was angry and disturbed by what she saw as “movement toward fascism and an authoritarian government” in the Trump administration.

“I care a lot about New York City,” Zasloff said. “Being here with so many people gives me hope.”

Since returning to the White House, Trump has adopted an expansive view of presidential power, using executive orders to block funding approved by Congress and dismantle parts of the federal government, imposing sweeping tariffs on other countries and deploying national guard troops to cities over the objections of state governors.

The president said his actions were necessary to rebuild a country in crisis and dismissed suggestions that he was a dictator or fascist as hysterical. But critics warn that some of the administration’s moves are unconstitutional and pose a threat to American democracy.

Massimo Mascoli, a 68-year-old retired electronics engineer and New Jersey resident who grew up in Italy, said he was protesting because he could not watch the United States slide into fascism as his country did last century.

“I am the nephew of an Italian hero who left Mussolini’s army and joined the resistance,” Mascoli said. “He was tortured and killed by fascists, and I didn’t expect to find fascism again in the United States 80 years later.”

Mascoli is particularly concerned about the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigrants, the imposition of widespread tariffs, the deployment of National Guard troops to U.S. cities and cuts to health care for millions of Americans.

“We can’t trust the Supreme Court, we can’t trust the government,” Mascoli said. he said. “We can’t trust Congress. Right now we have the entire legislature, executive and judiciary against the American people. That’s why we’re fighting.”

Protests are expected to continue throughout the country throughout the day. In Washington DC, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders gave a keynote speech.

“We’re not here because we hate America, we’re here because we love America,” he told the crowd of thousands.

At the D.C. march, the BBC saw a man wearing a Maga hat decide to check out the protest, saying he was in town for a visit. He declined to give his name but said people were being kind even though he didn’t fully “get it.” Shortly after, a woman made a derogatory comment to him.

Protesters across Europe took to the streets in Berlin, Madrid and Rome to show solidarity with their American counterparts. Several hundred protesters also gathered outside the US embassy in London, United Kingdom.

US protest organizers say the meeting will challenge Trump’s “authoritarianism”.

In a Fox News interview that was set to air Sunday but was teased on Saturday, Trump appeared to touch on upcoming rallies.

“A king! This is not an action,” Trump said in a preview clip of the interview. “You know, they call me the king. I’m not the king.”

“We’re going to have to bring out the National Guard,” Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall said ahead of the rallies, according to CNN.

“I hope it will be peaceful. I doubt it.”

Republican governors in many US states have kept National Guard troops on standby, but it is unclear how visible the military presence will be.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott activated the state’s National Guard ahead of a protest planned for Thursday in the state’s capital, Austin.

He said troops would be needed due to a “planned Antifa-related demonstration.”

Democrats condemned the move, including Gene Wu, the state’s top Democrat, who argued: “Sending armed soldiers to suppress peaceful protests is what kings and dictators do, and Greg Abbott has proven to be one of them.”

Virginia’s Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin also ordered the activation of the state’s National Guard.

In Washington DC, where National Guard troops have been deployed since August at Trump’s request, no soldiers were seen at the protest, although local police were present.

At a rally in the capital, a protester carried a banner that read “I am antifa.”

Chuck Epes, 76, said it’s a “loaded” term and means he not only supports “peace, daycare, livable wages, healthcare,” but also immigrants and people of color.

“He gaslights everyone or tries to do it, but it doesn’t work,” he said.

The fundamental principle of all No Kings events is non-violence, which also calls on all participants to de-escalate any possible arguments, the group makes clear on its website.

Americans are deeply divided over Donald Trump. A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll found that only 40% approved of his performance as president, while 58% disapproved. That puts him about on par with his average approval rating in his first term, but lower than his 47% approval rating when he took office for a second term in January.

It is common for presidents to become unpopular as their terms in office become longer. Joe Biden’s approval rating was 55% in January 2021, according to Reuters/Ipsos. By October of the same year, his approval had fallen to 46%.