What Is the No Kings Protest
No Kings is a series of nationwide protest days against President Trump’s use of executive power, organized by a coalition led by the group Indivisible. Each day brings thousands of local events on the same date, from rallies at state capitols to neighbors on a street corner. Organizers say the name means that “in America, we have no kings” (No Kings).
There have been 3 national No Kings days: June 14, 2025, October 18, 2025, and March 28, 2026. The next is a day of action tied to early voting on October 17, 2026.
Key facts
- Independent counters put October 18, 2025 at 5 to 6.5 million people, among the largest single days of protest in U.S. history
- Events grew from about 2,150 across the U.S. on the first day to 3,300+ worldwide on March 28, 2026
- Organizers claim 8 million+ joined on March 28, 2026; we found no independent count
- More than 99.5% of June 2025 events had no injuries or property damage, by independent count
- The next national date is October 17, 2026, built around early voting
When Is the Next No Kings Protest
The next national No Kings day is October 17, 2026, announced as a “Nationwide Day of Action” under the banner “No Kings: Vote Early.” Instead of one mass march, organizers are asking local groups to host events that move people to vote early before the November 3, 2026 election (No Kings).
That makes the fourth No Kings day different from the first three, which were protests. Organizers call this one “a day of nonpartisan voter participation” and ask people to vote early where they can, request an absentee ballot or check their registration (No Kings).
To find an event near you, use the map on nokings.org, the national list on Mobilize, or our protest and event listings by state. To host one, organizers take sign-ups through Mobilize. Check your state’s early voting dates in our voter registration guide.
Attending a Protest Safely
No Kings says its events have organizers trained in de-escalation and safety coordinators on site. It asks everyone to leave weapons at home, even legal ones (No Kings). Knowing your rights and having a plan still matters, especially at large events near federal buildings.
If someone is hurt or in danger, call 911 first. For legal help after an arrest at a protest, call the National Lawyers Guild Mass Defense Hotline at 404-458-9449. You do not have to know whether a law was broken to ask for help.
What to do, by situation
Open the one closest to yours. This is general information, not legal advice.
Police order the crowd to disperse
- Leave by the route police name, calmly, and stay with the people you came with.
- If you cannot leave, say so out loud and ask an officer which way to go.
- If you are arrested, say "I am going to remain silent and I want a lawyer." Call the NLG hotline at 404-458-9449.
A lawful dispersal order changes a protected gathering into a place you must leave. Staying can lead to arrest even if you did nothing else.
Police or agents stop you or want to search your bag or phone
- Ask, "Am I free to go?" If yes, walk away calmly.
- Say clearly, "I do not consent to a search." Do not physically resist.
- Do not unlock your phone. Our guide to police searches explains what officers can look through.
Refusing consent keeps your rights intact for later, even if officers search anyway.
You want to film police or federal agents
- Film from a distance that does not block anyone, and keep your hands visible.
- Nine federal appeals courts protect filming police in public. Our guide to recording police and ICE has the details.
- Back up the video to the cloud as you record, in case your phone is taken.
You are bringing children or are at higher risk
- Choose a smaller, daytime event or stay near the edge of a large crowd.
- Agree on a meeting spot, and write an emergency contact on your child's arm.
- If you are not a U.S. citizen, read our guide to ICE arrest powers before you go, and consider a lower-risk way to take part, like hosting or volunteering.
For the full list of what to bring and what your rights are, see our guide to protest rights, where the First Amendment protects you, and what police can and cannot search. Noncitizens should also read our guide to ICE arrest powers.
How Many People Went to No Kings
Every independent count puts No Kings among the largest single-day protests in U.S. history, though the counts run below organizers’ claims. The Crowd Counting Consortium, run by Erica Chenoweth, Jeremy Pressman and colleagues, counted 2 to 4.8 million people at more than 2,150 events on June 14, 2025 (Waging Nonviolence). Data journalist G. Elliott Morris, working with the newsroom Xylom, estimated 5 to 6.5 million for October 18, 2025 (Strength In Numbers).
For March 28, 2026, organizers claimed at least 8 million people at more than 3,300 events worldwide (CBS News). We found no independent national count as of October 14, 2026, so that figure is a claim, not a count.
No Kings turnout: organizers' claims beside independent counts
Source: Crowd Counting Consortium via Waging Nonviolence (August 12, 2025); G. Elliott Morris and Xylom (October 20, 2025); Axios, October 2025 planned events (October 15, 2025); CBS News (March 28, 2026)
Crowd counts differ because no one counts every event. The Crowd Counting Consortium tallies event by event from news reports, photos and organizer reports, and its June 2025 data covered 82% of events, with the gaps mostly in small towns. Organizers add up host reports. Both methods estimate, which is why this page shows a range and names who made it.
Even the independent counts are large next to the 2017 Women’s March. The consortium calls that march probably the largest single-day protest in U.S. history at the time, with 3.2 to 5.3 million people in more than 650 places. June 2025’s No Kings day spread its crowd across roughly 3 times as many places.
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| 2017 Women's March, upper count (CCC) | 1.6% |
| No Kings, June 14, 2025, upper count (CCC) | 1.4% |
| No Kings, October 18, 2025, upper count (Morris/Xylom) | 1.9% |
| No Kings, March 28, 2026, organizers' claim (unverified) | 2.4% |
| The 3.5% level in Chenoweth's research | 3.5000000000000004% |
Upper independent counts from the Crowd Counting Consortium and G. Elliott Morris/Xylom; March 2026 is organizers' unverified claim. Base: Census Bureau estimate of 340 million people (July 2024).
Who Organizes No Kings
Indivisible, a national network of local progressive groups, leads the No Kings coalition, with partners that include MoveOn, the 50501 movement, the American Federation of Teachers, the Human Rights Campaign and the ACLU (Axios; CBS News). Each local event is organized by volunteers who register it on Mobilize, which is why events range from big-city marches to small-town gatherings.
The first No Kings day, June 14, 2025, was a response to the military parade the president planned for the Army’s 250th anniversary, which fell on his 79th birthday (Axios).
Is No Kings Peaceful
The independent data says almost all No Kings events have been peaceful. More than 99.5% of the June 14, 2025 protests the Crowd Counting Consortium tracked had no injuries or property damage, and property damage was reported at 10 of them (Waging Nonviolence).
Three incidents tied to No Kings days are documented by named sources:
- Salt Lake City, June 14, 2025: A safety volunteer fired three shots at a man seen assembling a rifle near the crowd. The third shot killed Arthur Folasa Ah Loo, who was at the protest. Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill announced a manslaughter charge against the volunteer, Matthew Alder, on December 3, 2025, and said the man with the rifle would not be charged (NBC News).
- Minnesota, June 14, 2025: After state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband were killed that morning, authorities asked people not to attend No Kings events, reporting that papers reading “No Kings” were found in the suspect’s vehicle (Fox 9).
- Los Angeles and Denver, March 28, 2026: Authorities used tear gas near a federal detention center in Los Angeles, and Denver police made at least nine arrests (CBS News).
Every National Protest Day So Far
No Kings grew in each round, from a first day in June 2025 to a larger one in October and a still larger claimed turnout in March 2026. The fourth day, in October 2026, turns the movement toward the ballot box.
- First No Kings day About 2,150 events; 2 to 4.8 million people by independent count. (source)
- Second No Kings day More than 2,500 events planned; 5 to 6.5 million by independent count. (source)
- Third No Kings day More than 3,300 events worldwide; organizers claim 8 million+. (source)
- Vote early day of action Events tied to early voting before November 3. (source)
: Jun 2025: First No Kings day (About 2,150 events; 2 to 4.8 million people by independent count.). Oct 2025: Second No Kings day (More than 2,500 events planned; 5 to 6.5 million by independent count.). Mar 2026: Third No Kings day (More than 3,300 events worldwide; organizers claim 8 million+.). Oct 2026: Vote early day of action (Events tied to early voting before November 3.).
June 2025: On June 14, the first No Kings day drew 2 to 4.8 million people to about 2,150 events, by the Crowd Counting Consortium’s count, the same day as the Army parade in Washington.
October 2025: On October 18, the second day drew 5 to 6.5 million people, by G. Elliott Morris and Xylom’s estimate. Organizers had more than 2,500 events planned that week.
March 2026: On March 28, organizers said at least 8 million people joined more than 3,300 events worldwide.
October 2026: On October 17, the fourth No Kings day is set as a nationwide day of action to vote early before the midterm election.
Does Protest Size Matter
The research most often cited, political scientist Erica Chenoweth’s “3.5% rule,” finds that no government in her data withstood a movement that got 3.5% of the population into a peak event. In the United States that would be about 11.9 million people. The finding comes from a dataset of 323 mass campaigns from 1900 to 2006 that sought to topple governments or win self-determination (Carr Center, Harvard Kennedy School).
By the upper independent counts, No Kings has reached about 1.9% of the population on a single day. Organizers’ claim for March 2026 would be about 2.4%. Both fall short of 3.5%, though both are larger shares than the 2017 Women’s March at its upper count.
Chenoweth herself warns against treating 3.5% as a target or a guarantee. She calls it “a descriptive finding but not necessarily a prescriptive one,” and notes that 83% of successful nonviolent campaigns won without reaching it. Her data measures sustained campaigns aimed at removing governments, not one-day protests in a democracy with elections, and she has documented at least one campaign, in Bahrain, that failed despite passing the threshold.
That gap between a day of turnout and a sustained campaign is the strongest critique of mass marches as a strategy, and it is one reason organizers built the October 2026 day around early voting.
What Organizers and the White House Say
Before the October 2025 day, organizers said the protests would send a message that “we are a nation of equals, and our country will not be ruled by fear or force” (Axios). The independent data backs their point that the events have been overwhelmingly peaceful. Our authoritarianism explainer shows how the U.S. measures up on the democracy indexes researchers use.
The White House dismissed the March 2026 protests as the product of “leftist funding networks,” CBS News reported. Spokesperson Abigail Jackson called them “Trump Derangement Therapy Sessions” (CBS News).
The independent counts settle two questions: the crowds were large, and the events were overwhelmingly peaceful. Whether a single day of that size changes policy is a question the 3.5% research cannot answer.
Who is funding the No Kings protests?
The lead organizer is Indivisible, a nonprofit network, working with a coalition that includes MoveOn, the 50501 movement, the American Federation of Teachers, the Human Rights Campaign and the ACLU. Local events are run by volunteers who register them on Mobilize. Before the October 2025 day, Axios reported that the nonprofit Home of the Brave launched a $1 million ad campaign promoting the rallies.
Why is it called No Kings?
Organizers say the name means that “in America, we have no kings,” and that power belongs to the people, not to “billionaires, strongmen, or politicians who believe they are above accountability.”
Is the No Kings protest on the same day everywhere?
Yes. Each No Kings day is a single national date with thousands of local events, listed on Mobilize. The next national date is October 17, 2026.
Can I be fired for going to a No Kings protest?
Possibly, if you work for a private employer. The First Amendment limits only the government, so it does not protect a private job, though some states add protection by law. Connecticut, for example, bars employers from disciplining workers for First Amendment activity that does not substantially interfere with their job. Public employees have some First Amendment protection for speech on public issues, weighed against the employer’s interest in getting its work done.
Do I need a permit to join a No Kings event?
Usually not. The ACLU says you do not need a permit to march on streets or sidewalks as long as you do not block car or foot traffic. Some events need one, such as a march that closes a street, a rally with amplified sound, or a large rally in a park or plaza. Your rights are strongest in traditional public forums like streets, sidewalks and parks, though officials may set certain narrow restrictions.
What You Can Do
- Find or host an October 17 event. Use the No Kings map or Mobilize, or check our event listings by state.
- Make a voting plan before you go. Look up your state’s deadlines and early voting in our voter registration guide.
- Know your rights at a protest. Read our protest rights guide and save the National Lawyers Guild hotline, 404-458-9449, in your phone.
- Keep organizing between protest days. A mutual aid group or a town hall turns one day of turnout into steady pressure.
- Tell your members of Congress what you want done. Our letter-writing guide shows how to make one specific ask count.