On Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025, millions of Americans poured into the streets for the second No Kings protest this year. Organizers from hundreds of national and local progressive groups say nearly 7 million people participated in about 2,700 different No Kings events. In every state, in cities big and small, protesters used signs, costumes and chants to double down on democracy and accuse President Donald Trump of behaving more like a monarch than an elected official during his first 10 months back in office.
Marchers carried “We the People” signs and references to the U.S. Constitution, including: “The Constitution is not optional,” “Democracy not monarchy” and “No kings since 1776.” Signs and chants varied by region: In New York City, protesters dressed up as the Statue of Liberty; in Florida, signs said the Florida heat would melt ICE; in Texas, marchers called for Gov. Abbott and Sen. Cruz to stand up to the Trump administration’s abuses of power.
This protest’s turnout was even larger than that of the first No Kings protest on June 14 (incidentally Trump’s birthday), which drew crowds of about 5 million, according to No Kings organizers. Both were among the largest single-day protests in American history.
Since taking office in January 2025, the president’s administration has advanced a far-right agenda, including cracking down on immigration, slashing healthcare funds and rolling back climate change prevention efforts. Many new policies have targeted women specifically, such as cutting back funds for domestic violence support programs and eliminating funding for family planning, reproductive health and maternal health for women around the world.
According to recent polls, Trump’s overall approval rating has fallen to 44 percent in the past two months, with many respondents citing concerns over how Trump has handled the economy as well as other issues including immigration, foreign policy and cost of living—not to mention the current 21-day government shutdown.
This year has seen a consistently wide gender gap in Trump’s approval ratings among men and women. An Economist/YouGov poll from earlier this month shows 44 percent of men polled approve of Trump when asked “Do you approve or disapprove of the way Donald Trump is handling his job as president?” compared to just 34 percent of women—a gender gap of 10 points. The gender divide is even sharper for specific issues such as immigration, with 52 percent of men approving of Trump’s immigration policies as opposed to 38 percent of women—a gender gap of 14 points.
Republican leaders, including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), condemned the No Kings protest as a “hate America” rally. But demonstrators—of all political affiliations, and in blue and red states alike—said their participation reflected a commitment to peaceful protest as essential to protecting American democracy.
Rep. Pat Ryan (D-N.Y.) told Politico Playbook, “There’s literally nothing more patriotic and more American than exercising your First Amendment rights when you disagree with the direction of your country.” In his congressional district, he planned to read aloud what he calls “the original ‘No Kings’ document”: the Declaration of Independence.
Here are some of our favorite signs from Saturday’s No Kings protests.
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