Liberal activists across the nation are mobilizing on Saturday for ‘No Kings’ protests aimed at opposing President Donald Trump and his administration. These demonstrators argue that Trump’s actions undermine American democracy. With the government shutdown stretching into its 18th day, the events have drawn mixed reactions from members of Congress, who are deeply entrenched in their own political skirmishes.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, took to social media platform X, urging Americans who cherish their country and democratic principles to join the peaceful protests. “I call on my fellow citizens: do not let Donald Trump and the Republicans scare you into silence,” Schumer stated. “They aim to suppress the truth.”

Conversely, Republican leaders, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, have criticized the protests, warning they may attract “Hamas supporters” and “antifa types.” The New York City ‘No Kings’ protest boasts a wide array of sponsors, such as the ‘Communist Party USA.’ Despite the contentious atmosphere, organizers emphasize a commitment to peaceful, nonviolent demonstration.

‘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. 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.

‘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.