‘No Kings’ protest organizers predict large turnout Saturday: NPR

Organizers of the “No Kings” protests anticipate millions of Americans will demonstrate Saturday against the Trump administration’s policies, amid ongoing ICE arrests and the deployment of National Guard troops in several Democratic-run cities across the country.

“The goal here is to stand together, to organize, to defend our democracy and to protect each other and our communities, and to just say enough is enough,” said Lisa Gilbert, co-president of Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy group that is one of the protest organizers.

“We watched the Trump administration abuse its power and millions took to the streets in June,” she said.

Some Republicans have called the protests anti-Americanist. House Speaker Mike Johnson called it a “hate rally for America.”

This summer, many protesters demonstrated on the occasion of the military’s 250th anniversary, which coincided with President Trump’s birthday. To celebrate the date, Trump insisted on a massive military parade that critics say was intended to honor Trump as much as the armed service.

Today, protesters say they are denouncing what they see as injustices perpetrated against suspected undocumented immigrants, as well as a failing health care system, and efforts to overturn the health care system. elections, and other grievances.

Organizers told the No Kings website: “The president believes his power is absolute. But in America we have no kings and we will not back down from chaos, corruption and cruelty.”

The White House responds: “Who cares?

Asked about the planned protests and accusations that Trump was behaving like a monarch, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson responded: “Who cares? She had no further comment.

In June, organizers estimated that 5 million people participated in a day of anti-Kings protests across the country, in more than 2,000 events.

They anticipate an even bigger turnout this weekend.

Liz McKenna, a Harvard sociologist and assistant professor of public policy, said that in the past, movements of this magnitude have been successful in influencing social change, but their effectiveness has declined significantly since the turn of the century.

“We’re not even a year into the Trump administration, and so I think the organizers’ strategy is to show that ‘we’re not going backwards,’” McKenna said.

But she added: “We’ve seen more people take to the streets, not just in the United States but around the world, by the millions, and in many, if not most, of these cases, the protests have not achieved their stated goals.” »

McKenna cited recent large-scale protests like Black Lives Matter and the Women’s March during Trump’s first term, which were highly visible but did not necessarily result in lasting change.