Democrats flood streets for anti-Trump 'No Kings' protests as government shutdown hits day 18
Scores of liberal activists are gathering across the country Saturday for 'No Kings' protests against President Donald Trump and his administration's actions that they view as illegal and subverting American Democracy.
Members of Congress, who have been locked in a bitter battle as the government shutdown careens into its 18th day, are among those both encouraging and ripping the demonstrations.
Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, of New York, posted on X to 'encourage Americans everywhere, Americans who love this country, who care about our democracy, to march peacefully.'
'I say to my fellow citizens: do not let Donald Trump and Republicans intimidate you into silence,' Schumer added. 'That's what they want to do. They're afraid of the truth.'
Republicans like House Speaker Mike Johnson have decried the events, saying they are likely to include 'Hamas supporters' and 'antifa types.'
A 'No Kings' protest scheduled in New York City has dozens of sponsors, including the 'Communist Party USA.'
The description for one of the demonstrations urges attendees to commit 'to nonviolent action.'
'We expect all participants to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values and to act lawfully at these events,' organizers noted.
Thousands of demonstrators gathered in Chicago's Daley Plaza for a 'No Kings' demonstration on June 14
Demonstrators turned out to protest against Trump in Charlotte, North Carolina on June 14
In an interview to air Sunday, President Donald Trump refuted the premise of the protests, telling Fox News', 'I am not a king.'
Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott planned to send National Guard troops and other law enforcement to Austin for its demonstration, earning blowback from Democrats.
'No Kings' events are expected to occur in over 2,600 locations across all 50 states.
The demonstration in Washington, DC, is set to play host to one of the largest crowds, but gatherings in other major liberal cities are sure to be sizable as well.
Organizers of the protests noted that 'Speaker Johnson is running out of excuses for keeping the government shut down.'
'Instead of reopening the government, preserving affordable healthcare, or lowering costs for working families, he's attacking millions of Americans who are peacefully coming together to say that America belongs to its people, not to kings,' the group's leaders also noted, according to Axios.
Numerous sources in Washington, DC, told the Daily Mail that they see the impasse lasting beyond Thanksgiving.
The longest government shutdown in history came during Trump's first term and stretched for 35 days between December 2018 and January 2019.
Numerous sources on Capitol Hill told the Daily Mail last week that they foresaw the shutdown stretching past Saturday, predicting that the longer the shutdown lasts, the more Democrats will be blamed for it.
A Los Angeles Police Department officer points a rubber bullet gun at the crowd during a 'No Kings' march in downtown LA on June 14
Marines and National Guard troop at the Federal Building in downtown Los Angeles on June 14
'They are putting their own folks at a disadvantage,' one senior Senate Republican aide told the Daily Mail last week.
'If I were the "No Kings" guys, I'd be saying we need to move this [protest] up to, like, [October] 13th or 14th,' the aide added.
The last round of 'No Kings' protests took place on June 14, the day of Trump's military parade in Washington, DC, which also coincided with his 79th birthday.
Some of the demonstrations around the country turned chaotic, including an incident with a man driving into a crowd at a gathering in Culpeper, Virginia.
On the National Mall in Washington, DC, there were only a smattering of critics - some quietly holding signs with others more loudly heckling the president's MAGA fans who gathered for the military parade.
