Minneapolis: The country is expected to witness mass protests against US President Donald Trump on Saturday, as millions express their anger at what they see as his authoritarian tendencies and other forms of harsh rule that tramples the law.This is the third time in less than a year that Americans have taken to the streets as part of a popular movement called “No Kings,” which is the most vocal and visual channel of opposition to Trump since he began his second term in January 2025.And now they have something new to be angry about — the war in Iran that Trump has waged on the side of Israel, with ever-changing goals and timelines.The first such nationwide day of protest in June came on Trump’s 79th birthday and coincided with a military parade in Washington that he insisted on holding.
Many millions of people turned out, from New York to San Francisco and many places in between.The second No Kings Day in October attracted an estimated seven million demonstrators, according to organizers.The goal now is to attract more people on Saturday, as Trump’s approval rating is down around 40%, and the midterm elections approach in November, when Trump’s Republicans may lose control of both chambers. Just as Trump is revered by many in his “Make America Great Again” movement, on the other side of America’s wide political divide he is disliked or even hated with the same degree of hatred.
Trump’s opponents bemoan his penchant for ruling by executive decree, his use of the Justice Department to prosecute opponents, his embrace of fossil fuels and denial of climate change even as the planet warms, his fight against racial and gender diversity programs, and his new taste for projecting American military might after campaigning as a man of peace.“Since the last time we demonstrated, this administration has dragged us into a deeper war,” said Naveed Shah of the Veterans Association, which belongs to the No Kings movement.“Back home, we saw citizens killed in the streets by military forces. We saw families torn apart and immigrant communities targeted. All of this was done in the name of one man trying to rule like a king,” Shah said.(Springsteen in Minneapolis).Organizers say more than 3,000 marches are scheduled, an increase from the last day of protest, in major cities from coast to coast and in suburbs and rural areas — even in the Alaska city of Kotzebue, above the Arctic Circle.Minnesota will be a major focal point, returning to the spotlight months after it became a lightning rod for the national debate over Trump’s violent crackdown on immigration.Legendary rock singer Bruce Springsteen, a fierce critic of the president, is scheduled to perform his song “Streets of Minneapolis” in St. Paul, the northern state’s capital. It’s a song he wrote and recorded within 24 hours in memory of Rene Judd and Alex Peretti, the Americans who were shot and killed by federal agents during cold-weather protests in January against Trump’s attack on immigration.The “No Kings” movement said, “Masked secret police are terrorizing our communities. A catastrophic, illegal war puts us at risk and increases our costs. Assaults on our freedom of expression, our civil rights, and our freedom to vote. The costs are pushing families to the brink. Trump wants to rule us like a tyrant.”What started in 2025 as a simple day of defiance has turned into a powerful movement of national resistance to the Trump administration, she said.Organizers say two-thirds of those planning to protest Saturday do not live in major cities, which in America are often Democratic strongholds — a data point that has risen sharply since the last protest.“America is at an inflection point,” said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers. “People are afraid, they cannot afford basic necessities. It is time for the administration to listen to them and help them build a better life instead of fueling hatred and fear.”
