It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Sunday, October 19, 2025
Trump posts late-night AI video of himself in a crown dumping sewage on protesters
Donald Trump late Saturday night dropped a new Artificial Intelligence video in which "King Trump" is shown flying a jet in a crown and dumping what appears to be feces on purported "No Kings" protesters.
Protesters over the weekend enjoyed what some analysts have called one of the largest demonstrations of its kind, taking place in small towns and big cities across the country, but Trump didn't appear to be happy with the protests of what critics say are his authoritarian tendencies.
Once the protests were all wrapped up, at 9:32 PM Eastern, Trump posted a video of himself dumping sewage on those who protested.
Donald Trump shocked political analysts and experts with an AI video he posted late Saturday.
Trump late on Saturday night dropped a new Artificial Intelligence video in which "King Trump" is shown flying a jet in a crown and dumping what appears to be feces on purported "No Kings" protesters.
The internet was quick to react to the president posting a video of himself dumping sewage on those who protested.
Conservative attorney George Conway said, "I for one do think it's possible for America to find a president better than one who, faced with claims he is dumping s--- on Americans, posts a video showing himself dumping s--- on Americans."
In a separate post, Conway wrote, "Tell us how you really feel... please tell us."
Former MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan joked, "Imagine if Bid- oh forget it."
Author and journalist Nick Bryant said, "I wonder what the Nobel peace prize committee will make of this……"
Authoritarianism expert Ruth Ben-Ghiat chimed in with her expertise:
"An accurate representation of how this kind of leader really feels about those he governs. Autocrats starve kill jail impoverish and use and discard people because they feel scorn for humanity."
Democratic strategist Matt McDermott said, "The wildest part about the largest protest in American history is that the president’s response was to post a video literally proving the point of the protest."
Democratic senator Brian Schatz asked, "But seriously why would the President post an image on the Internet of airdropping feces on American cities?"
Activist group Home of the Brave wrote, "Millions of Americans peacefully protested today to remind Trump that this is still the Home of the Brave & there are #NoKings."
"The president responded by posting an AI video of himself dressed as a king while flying a fighter jet and defecating on peaceful American protesters," the group added Sunday.
‘Carry on’: Bill Nye shrugs off surprise confrontation from Laura Loomer affiliate
Television presenter Bill Nye speaks before unveiling his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles, California, U.S., September 22, 2025. (REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni)
William Nye, better known as the host of the hit educational show “Bill Nye the Science Guy,” was confronted Saturday by a correspondent for right-wing influencer Laura Loomer, who hurled a barrage of questions that Nye largely shrugged off.
Nye spoke Saturday at the ongoing “No Kings” protest in Washington, D.C., part of a series of anti-Trump protests expected to be attended by millions. Confronted while walking away from the Capitol, Nye was approached by Loomer Unleashed correspondent Charles Downs, who immediately started questioning Nye, and issued him a new nickname.
“Would calling you 'Bill Nye the Political Science Guy' be a better nickname since you're speaking at this political No Kings protest?” Downs is heard saying in a video posted by Loomer, a self-proclaimed “proud Islamaphobe.”
“I think the phrase you're looking for is 'no comment,’” Nye responded. “I don't know why you made that up.”
Following Nye as he walked, Downs continued to reference Nye by the new nickname; “That’s what you think,” Nye said as he continued walking.
“Do you like that nickname?” Downs asked.
“Carry on,” Nye said as he began ignoring Downs.
“And you donated to Kamala, right?” Downs shouted at Nye as he began to walk further away. “So not very authentic Mr. Nye. Kind of disappointed, I watched you growing up, you're kind of a let down!”
Nye has been a vocal critic of President Donald Trump in the past, particularly on his remarks denying climate change, once stating “with as much respect as I can muster, the president doesn’t seem to want to keep a thought in his head for very long.” The No Kings protests may very well end up being the single-largest protest in American history, at least according to former Republican lawmaker Joe Walsh, with around 2,700 separate No Kings protests taking place across the nation.
'Closures have been lifted': NYPD announces 'zero protest-related arrests' on No Kings day
A protester holds a sign n Memphis, Tennessee. REUTERS/Seth Herald
The official X account for the New York Police Department announced on Saturday that authorities made "zero protest-related arrests" at the local "No Kings" protests.
Some analysts have hailed this weekend's pro-democracy protests as the largest on record, but others, such as political dynasty Meghan McCain, the daughter of the late GOP presidential candidate John McCain, do not understand the point.
One big fear was that in big cities, such protests could result in arrests or even violence.
But in New York that wasn't a problem, according to NYPD News.
"The majority of the No Kings protests have dispersed at this time and all traffic closures have been lifted," the account wrote. "We had more than 100,000 people across all five boroughs peacefully exercising their first amendment rights and the NYPD made zero protest-related arrests."
UPDATED
‘We the People Will Rule!’: Millions Turn Out for ‘No Kings’ Protests Against Trump Tyranny
“As Trump and his henchmen take our democracy apart, we are called by our future to rescue it,” a progressive congressional candidate in Maine said at one of more than 2,700 scheduled protests.
A person dressed in a Statue of Liberty costume participates in a “No Kings” national day of protest in New York City on October 18, 2025. (Photo by Timothy A Clary/AFP via Getty Images)
Democracy defenders took to the streets Saturday in big cities and small towns from coast to coast and around the world to protest President Donald Trump’s authoritarianism and to show the world that “America has no kings, and the power belongs to the people.”
Organizers said that more than 2,700 No Kings rallies are scheduled in every state and more than a dozen nations, in what could be the “largest protest in US history” in one day. Saturday’s demonstrations followed June 14 No Kings protests that drew millions of people.
“I think that this is going to be a stronger push than the last one,” Hunter Dunn of 50501, a progressive organization that is one of the event’s organizers, told The New York Times.
“I’m seeing more of an emphasis on the understanding that this is not just a sprint,” he added. “We are seeing a difference in the understanding of the general public, that this is a marathon.”
“ Mike Johnson, the Republican speaker of the House, called these rallies ‘Hate America’ events,” Sanders told a huge crowd in Washington, DC. “Why does he have it wrong? Millions of Americans are coming out today not because they hate America, we’re here today because we love America.”
“Today... in this dangerous moment in American history, our message is... no, President Trump, we don’t want you or any other king to rule us,” Sanders continued. “We will not move toward authoritarianism in America. We the People will rule!”
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) also spoke at the DC rally, telling the crowd that “the truth is that Donald Trump is the most corrupt president in the history of the United States of America.”
“The truth is that he is enacting a detailed, step-by step plan to try to destroy all of the things that protect our democracy—free speech, fair elections, an independent press, the right to protest,” Murphy continued.
“But the truth is also this: He has not won yet, the people still rule in this country,” the senator added. “And today, all across America, in numbers that may eclipse any day of protest in our nation’s history, Americans are saying loudly and proudly that we are a free people.”
Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) fired up an enthusiastic crowd in Seattle, affirming that “we will not back down, we will not give in” to Trump’s authoritarianism and lawlessness.
“It would be easy to look around us at what’s happening and throw up our hands, be angry, be frustrated, blame someone else, or just disengage, because there’s too much hate and corruption, cruelty, and violence,” Jayapal said.
She added that Trump is “clearly not well,” calling him a “wannabe king who dehumanizes trans people and immigrants, and Black people, and poor people to distract you from his real agenda.”
Jayapal decried a president “who sends National Guard troops and masked men into our cities, militarizing our streets, kidnapping and disappearing tens of thousands of people from our communities, and trying very hard to suppress our dissent.”
“We are not caving in,” she said. “Right now, let’s show the power of this movement... We are the people’s movement that will save our democracy.”
Saturday’s rallies were peaceful, joyous events, replete with signs inscribed with creative slogans like “Our Huddled Masses Will Defeat Your Fascist Asses” and “No Crown for the Clown!”
In Chicago, rallygoers erected a paper machete guillotine in Grant Park, where Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” blared from loudspeakers.
“No sign is big enough to list all the reasons I’m here,” 26-year-old protester Mackayla Reilley told the Chicago Sun-Times. “With everything going on in Chicago, we have to protect immigrants [and] we have to stand up against Trump. We can’t normalize this type of polarization and this type of partisanship.”
In Nashville, Tennessee, 9-year-old Iris Spragens who was attending a rally with her parents, told the Tennessee Lookout that she wished country music icon Dolly Parton were president.
“We don’t want Trump to be king because he can be mean to a lot of immigrants and he kicks out a lot of immigrants,” Spragens said.
Wendy MacConnell, a grandmother who also attended the Nashville protest, told the Lookout that Trump and Republicans are “trying to whitewash this to make it seem like America doesn’t want this—but look around, look around at all these people.”
In Pueblo, Colorado, around 2,000 people rallied at the Pueblo County Government Lawn.
“What the community is doing here today is coming together and saying we won’t take this, we want to be listened to and the people we elect should be listening to the people who vote them in,” 23-year-old Sydney Haney told KRCC, explaining that she was attending to protest US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) abducting members of her community and attacks on the Constitution, reproductive rights, and healthcare.
In Bangor, Maine, progressive congressional candidate Matt Dunlap told the crowd: “A dangerous time is again upon us. It is bad, and it can get worse, as Trump and his henchmen take our democracy apart, we are called by our future to rescue it.”
“We can and must do more,” Dunlap added. “We owe it to ourselves and the future of this nation to be bold and not afraid, to be hopeful and not despondent, to strive for our independence and reject subjugation by a king.”
In Atlanta, protester Linda Kelley told Fox 5 that “we are so close to being Germany, 1938, and it’s so terrifying.”
“I never thought in my lifetime we’d be somewhere like this,” she added. “People don’t realize what will happen if we don’t stand up.”
Democratic San Diego County Supervisor Paloma Aguirre told KPBS in downtown San Diego that “I am here today in solidarity, so that we cannot continue to accept that our constitutional rights continue to be eroded and taken away from us.”
“We have the right to free speech, we have the right to free press, we have the right to have our families not be separated in the dark of night and dragged away,” Aguirre added.
Millions attended the latest "No Kings" protests, which come as Trump has moved to deploy the National Guard in major cities. The US president is also targeting his political enemies. DW has the latest.
Demonstrators carried signs and some wore inflatable costumes, such as the Pikachu seen above
Protesters at the rallies accuse the Trump administration of authoritarian policies — from immigration crackdowns and mass firings of federal workers to attacks on the media and judicial independence.
In Washington, Senator Bernie Sanders accused Republicans of serving the wealthiest one percent and warned against a slide toward authoritarianism, declaring that "we the people will rule."
Republicans have dismissed the protests as "hate America" rallies, while participants in states like Florida said they were defending democracy and the US Constitution.
Millions across US join mass 'No Kings' anti-Trump protests
Nearly 7 million people turned up for the "No Kings" protests against Donald Trump and his administration, marking the largest single-day demonstration against a sitting president in modern US history, organizers said.
The figure is higher than protests in June, which drew more than 5 million people, organizers added.
The numbers could not be independently verified, but Saturday's protests saw millions of people join marches in over 2,500 cities and towns in all 50 states.
“Authoritarians want us to believe resistance is futile, but every person who turned out today proved the opposite," said Ezra Levin, a co-founder of Indivisible, one of the organizers.
But several officials in the Trump administration have sought to downplay the size of the protests.
"Marked safe from kings in DC, since there aren’t any here," assistant attorney general
The NYPD said it made 'zero protest-related arrests'Image: Shannon Stapleton/REUTERS
Over 100,000 people protested peacefully across all five boroughs of New York as part of the wider "No Kings" protest, the New York Police Department said late on Saturday.
"The majority of the No Kings protests have dispersed at this time and all traffic closures have been lifted," NYPD wrote on X.
The police department added that it made "zero protest-related arrests."
DW correspondent Benjamin Alvarez Gruber is present at the "No Kings" rally in Washington, DC. Watch below for his insight into the event.
Sanders railed against Trump and said that the Trump administration only serves the interests of the richImage: Kylie Cooper/REUTERS
US Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, known for his progressive views, spoke at the "No Kings" rally in Washington, DC.
"We're here because we love America," Sanders told attendees, rejecting comments from Republican lawmakers that the event is a "hate America rally."
He said that the "American experiment" is in danger as Trump moves to gain more power for himself and for "oligarchs." Sanders, an independent, said the US political system has been hijacked by the ultra wealthy who seek to make themselves richer at the expense of working people.
"We will not move toward authoritarianism in America. We the people will rule," he said.
IN PICTURES: 'No Kings' rallies across the US
Thousands gathered for a demonstration in New York City's Times SquareImage: Seth Harrison/Imagn Images/IMAGO
Protesters in Washington D.C. demonstrated in front of the Capitol as a US government shutdown continuesImage: Tom Hudson/ZUMA/dpa/picture alliance
Protesters gathered in Philadelphia, a Democratic stronghold in the key presidential swing state of PennsylvaniaImage: Matthew Hatcher/AFP
Protesters march in Chicago, a city where Trump has ramped up federal immigration efforts, with the president also attempting to deploy the National Guard in the cityImage: Scott Olson/Getty Images/AFP
Protesters turned out in the small city of Canton, Georgia, which is located in heavily pro-Trump Cherokee CountyImage: Robin Rayne/ZUMA/picture alliance
Protesters rallied in Oregon's largest city of Portland, where Trump had attempted to send the National GuardImage: John Rudoff/REUTERS
Protesters in Los Angeles mocked TrumpImage: Daniel Cole/REUTERS
Another demo took place in Oakland, California which is near San Francisco
Image: Yalonda M. James/San Francisco Chronicle/AP Photo/picture alliance
‘Manhattan straight up no ICE’: New Yorkers unite at anti-Trump march
People flood New York's Times Square during a 'No Kings' national day of protest - Copyright AFP TIMOTHY A.CLARY Maggy DONALDSON
Nadja Rutkowski said protest is her way of life: she immigrated to the US from Germany at 14 and demonstrates for fear fascist history could repeat itself.
She was among the thousands of New Yorkers who marched down Broadway from Times Square Saturday during mass anti-Trump protests, where demonstrators rejected what many referred to as the “tyranny” of today’s White House.
As pro-democracy chants rang out, Rutkowski voiced outrage over what she called the Republican president’s attack on human rights that includes an aggressive crackdown on undocumented migrants.
“I come from a country where what is happening now has happened already before in 1938,” she told AFP, her dog Bella — who is also a seasoned protester — in tow.
“People are being snatched up from the streets,” she said. “We know, we see it, it’s happening in real time. So we’ve got to stand up.”
The sentiment was an unequivocal theme of Saturday’s demonstration in New York, the city where Donald Trump was born and made his name — but where the majority of residents vehemently spurn him.
“I like my Manhattan straight up no ICE,” read one of many similar placards, referring to the whisky cocktail bearing the name of New York’s most prominent borough.
ICE is the federal enforcement agency that has been detaining undocumented migrants and even American citizens in escalating raids across the United States — and the target of fury from protestors.
“We are in a crisis,” said Colleen Hoffman, 69, citing “the cruelty of this regime” and its aura of “authoritarianism.”
“If we don’t stick together, if we don’t raise our voices, then we’ve surrendered to it. I refuse to surrender.”
– ‘This is our flag too’ –
Saturday’s peaceful protest in New York was among some 2,700 nationwide; there were multiple demonstrations just within the city’s five boroughs.
Demonstrators were fervent in message but jovial in spirit: colorful costumes included one person dressed as the Mr. Met baseball mascot, wielding a sign that said “No Kings But Queens” in a reference to the borough the beloved baseball team comes from.
Gavin Michaels is a 26-year-old actor currently in an off-Broadway play about the rise of Nazi Germany — in which he portrays a young soldier “easily seduced” by the promises of a job and health care.
He called the role in “Crooked Cross,” a dramatization of a prophetic 1930s-era novel, “terrifyingly relevant” to today’s America.
“You see the administration pulling health care away from people but offering sign-up bonuses if you join ICE,” he told AFP.
But Michaels said he was heartened by joining his fellow New Yorkers on the streets: “It’s exciting,” he said, to see “other people who care.”
“We spend so much of our lives inside or on the internet and it’s nice to actually see people in person willing to do something or say something or stand up for something.
Along with signs bearing anti-fascist, anti-racist, anti-Trump messaging, many protestors wielded American flags.
Some even wore them: Mike Misner donned the Stars and Stripes as a cape.
“I want to say this is our flag too,” he told AFP, bemoaning the fact that conservative factions in the US have “made the flag theirs, as if they’re the only ones who could be patriotic.”
“Our country is under attack. Our democracy is under attack,” he said. “And this flag to me represents democracy.”
For No Kings Day, I wore an inflatable bear costume – and saw America in all its glory
The No Kings protest in Chicago. Picture provided by Sabrina Haake.
This week, blind to constitutional law and US history, Trump Border Czar Tom Homan said that protesting ICE “could lead to bloodshed and people dying.”
By suggesting that masked ICE agents could kill protestors for simply shouting hateful things at them, Homan was building the permission structure for federal agents to use “full force” violence against non-violent protestors.
More than that, his statement was meant to groom the public. The Trump administration is trying to get US citizens used to the idea that federal agents could use lethal force — to the point of killing people — against anyone who exercises their constitutional right to peacefully protest government actions they don’t like.
Team Trump has no idea what the First Amendment means
Homan, like Trump, seems oblivious to what the First Amendment says.
“Congress shall make no law … abridging the freedom of speech … or the right of the people peaceably to assemble…”
This protection was extended from Congress, or the federal government, to the states in 1868 through the passage of the 14th Amendment.
It was the very first amendment to the Constitution, and was the key to getting states to go along with the Constitution at all. Many states refused to sign or support the Constitution after it was drafted in 1787 because they were fearful of a strong federal government with no constraints to protect people from overreach. It was the sticking point that refused to yield, as the objecting states would not support the Constitution without a guarantee of individual liberties, including freedom of religion and, most importantly, the freedom to speak openly, to gather, and to criticize the government.
James Madison rose to the challenge and drafted the First Amendment, the language of which remains to this day, and has never been changed. The world is envious of our freedom of speech
Freedom of speech beyond the reach or control of the government stands as a beacon of freedom throughout the world, a marker of man’s evolution from the Dark Ages when rulers often punished and tortured people for their beliefs.
That’s why Trump’s Executive Order declaring that the federal government would now punish dissenters, whom he labelled “domestic terrorists,” sends chills down the spine of anyone who has the slightest concept of world history.
People in MAGA who support Trump’s centralized thought control have no concept of what it’s like to live under authoritarian rule. In China, Xi Jinping has installed facial recognition software into China's public security apparatus, where it records everyone at cross lights, bus stops, transport hubs and in public spaces. Xi uses it for mass surveillance, to record, identify, track and persecute anyone who criticizes the government.
Last week, Trump’s Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth tried something similar. Hegseth announced new rules threatening journalists’ access to the Pentagon if they did not agree to publish only information that he wants released, and was shocked when most of the press refused to go along with it.
The faction of MAGA clamoring to relax the division between church and state today have no idea what they are asking for either. Trump’s Christo Nationalists claim the U.S. was founded by and for Christians, and that its laws and government should therefore impose Christian values over all of society. They have no understanding of world or human history, or that freedom of religion grew out of the Inquisition, when torture was common.
Demonstrators spoke out against Trump’s policies, including perceived threats to democracy, ICE raids and Trump deploying military troops in US cities. The signs speak for themselves.
As I marched inside my bear inflatable, I’ve never been more proud to be an American.
Sabrina Haake is a columnist and 25+ year federal trial attorney specializing in 1st and 14th A defense. Her Substack, The Haake Take, is free.
Tens of thousands of people take to the streets in nationwide anti-Trump 'No Kings' protests
Copyright Ethan Swope/Copyright 2025 The AP. All rights reserved.
Tens of thousands of protesters flooded the streets of major US cities nationwide to demand an end to President Donald Trump’s “authoritarian” rule. Hundreds of concerned Americans abroad also staged protests in several European metropolitans.
Thousands of protesters marched and rallied in cities across the US on Saturday taking part in the “No Kings” demonstrations, decrying what participants see as the government's swift drift into authoritarianism under President Donald Trump.
People carried signs with slogans reading “Nothing is more patriotic than protesting” or “Resist Fascism" as they packed into New York City’s Times Square and rallied by the thousands in parks in Boston, Atlanta, Chicago and other metropolitans.
Demonstrators marched through Washington and downtown Los Angeles and picketed outside capitols in several Republican-led states, a courthouse in Billings, Montana, and at hundreds of smaller public spaces.
Many protesters even staged demonstrations outside buildings branded with the Trump name, like in New York and Chicago, where the US president – under his Trump organisations – owns and operates several pieces of prime downtown real estate.
People are signing a giant Constitution as they take part in a "No Kings" protest Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025, in Seattle
Lindsey Wasson/Copyright 2025 The AP. All rights reserved.
Trump's Republican Party disparaged the demonstrations as “Hate America” rallies, but in many places the events looked more like a street party.
There were marching bands, huge banners with the US Constitution’s “We The People” preamble that people could sign, and demonstrators wearing inflatable costumes, particularly frogs, which have emerged as a sign of resistance in Portland, Oregon.
It was the third mass mobilisation since Trump's return to the White House and came against the backdrop of a government shutdown that not only has closed federal programmes and services but is testing the core balance of power, as an aggressive executive wing confronts Congress and the courts in ways that protest organisers warn are a slide toward authoritarianism.
Daniella Diener participates with other protesters in the "No Kings" rally and march in downtown Albuquerque, N.M., on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025 Chancey Bush/Albuquerque Journal
“I fought for freedom and against this kind of extremism abroad,” said Shawn Howard, a former Iraq War Marine, who also worked at the CIA for 20 years on counter-extremism operations.
“And now I see a moment in America where we have extremists everywhere who are, in my opinion, pushing us to some kind of civil conflict,” he added.
Trump, meanwhile, was spending the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
“They say they’re referring to me as a king. I’m not a king,” the president said in an interview on Fox News that aired early on Friday, before he departed for a $1 million-per-head (€857,600) MAGA (Make America Great Again) fundraiser at his club.
Protesters – mainly Democrats – say they will continue to take to the streets to ensure their country’s democracy doesn’t “slip through the cracks,” and protect the Constitution, which they accuse the Trump administration of subverting
.
President Donald Trump waves after arriving on Air Force One, Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, at Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Florida Mark Schiefelbein/Copyright 2025 The AP. All rights reserved.
They slammed Trump for trying to revoke US birthright citizenship, a right protected by the 14th amendment, which has yet to be decided on by the Supreme Court.
They also criticised his administration’s targeting of illegal immigrants, the mass immigration raids in majority-Democrat cities like Los Angeles and Chicago, which have divided and broken up families, detained and deported many people, sometimes without trial or due process.
Protesters also demanded an end to Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops across US cities to conduct civilian policing operations, calling them unnecessary and unconstitutional, and urged a restoration of local power to state-level officials.
People march with signs during the nationwide "No Kings" protest in downtown Tucson, Ariz., on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025 Grace Trejo/Arizona Daily Star
American mobilise abroad
Several protests also took place across major European cities. The rallies were largely organised and attended by US citizens living abroad, who say they’re increasingly concerned with the Trump administration undermining their country’s global standing.
Hundreds of people gathered in Madrid, holding placards and signs reading “no man is above the law” and “No tyrants, defend democracy!”
A demonstrator holds a sign during an anti-Trump protest, in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025 Bernat Armangue/Copyright 2025 The AP. All rights reserved.
"The Trump Government is not respecting the institutions that every former president always has. The Republican Party is allowing that to happen. The Supreme Court seems to be ruling in his favour on everything, and we're very concerned about all that,” said William Kotes, a 66-year-old MBA admissions consultant.
"There's another agenda going on, and I think something needs to be done to stay vigilant, to stay active, and to speak out against what's happening,” said Miss Dawn, an international civil servant.
Many also protested the US president’s mixed-messaging in his support for Ukraine, following a Friday visit by the Ukrainian leader, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to the White House.
A woman dressed like the Statue of Liberty attends a protest against U.S. President Donald Trump, in Paris, Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025 Thibault Camus/Copyright 2025 The AP. All rights reserved
Zelenskyy, who visited Washington to make his country’s case and convince Trump to sell long-range Tomahawk missiles to him, left without the weapons he desired, which many suspect was due to Russia’s Vladimir Putin dissuading Trump from supplying them.
Some protesters also criticised his unwavering support for Israel and accused the incumbent administration of complicity in what they described as a genocide in Gaza, preceding a ceasefire deal, brokered by Trump, which came into effect last week.
‘No Kings’ anti-Trump protests draw massive crowds across US
In cities and towns across the US, huge crowds took to the streets Saturday to protest against the Trump administration in the “No Kings” demonstrations, which the Republican Party condemned as “Hate America” rallies. Around seven million people attended the protests, said organisers, decrying what they called the government's drift into authoritarianism.
Huge crowds took to the streets in all 50 US states at "No Kings" protests on Saturday, venting anger over President Donald Trump's hardline policies, while Republicans ridiculed them as "Hate America" rallies.
Organisers said seven million people attended protests spanning New York to Los Angeles, with demonstrations popping up in small cities across the US heartland and even near Trump's home in Florida.
"This is what democracy looks like!" chanted thousands in Washington near the US Capitol, where the federal government was shut down for a third week amid a legislative deadlock.
"Hey hey ho ho, Donald Trump has got to go!" said protesters, many of them carrying American flags, at least one of which was flying upside down in a signal of distress.
Colourful signs called on people to "protect democracy," while others demanded the country abolish the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency at the centre of Trump's anti-immigrant crackdown.
Demonstrators slammed what they called the Republican billionaire's strong-arm tactics, including attacks on the media, political opponents and undocumented immigrants.
"I never thought I would live to see the death of my country as a democracy," 69-year-old retiree Colleen Hoffman told AFP as she marched down Broadway in New York.
"We are in a crisis – the cruelty of this regime, the authoritarianism. I just feel like I cannot sit home and do nothing."
In Los Angeles, protesters floated a giant balloon of Trump in a diaper.
Many flew flags, with at least one referencing pirate anime hit "One Piece", brandishing the skull logo that has recently become a staple of anti-government protests from Peru to Madagascar.
"Fight Ignorance not migrants," read one sign at a protest in Houston, where nearly one-quarter of the population is made up of immigrants, according to the Migration Policy Institute.
It was not possible to independently verify the organizers' attendance figures. In New York, authorities said more than 100,000 gathered at one of the largest protests, while in Washington, crowds were estimated at between 8,000 and 10,000 people.
Trump responds
Trump's response to Saturday's events was typically aggressive, with the US president posting a series of AI-generated videos to his Truth Social platform depicting him as a king.
In one, he is shown wearing a crown and piloting a fighter jet that drops what appears to be feces on anti-Trump protesters.
His surrogates were in fighting form, too, with House Speaker Mike Johnson deriding the rallies as being "Hate America" protests.
"You're going to bring together the Marxists, the Socialists, the Antifa advocates, the anarchists and the pro-Hamas wing of the far-left Democrat Party," he told reporters.
Protesters treated that claim with ridicule.
"Look around! If this is hate, then someone should go back to grade school," said Paolo, 63, as the crowd chanted and sang around him in Washington.
Others hinted at the deep polarization tearing apart American politics.
"Here's the thing about what right-wingers say: I don't give a crap. They hate us," said Tony, a 34-year-old software engineer. 'Country of equals'
Deirdre Schifeling of the American Civil Liberties Union said protesters wanted to convey that "we are a country of equals".
"We are a country of laws that apply to everyone, of due process and of democracy. We will not be silenced," she told reporters.
Leah Greenberg, co-founder of the Indivisible Project, slammed the Trump administration's efforts to send National Guard troops into Democratic-led US cities, including Los Angeles, Washington, Chicago, Portland and Memphis.
"It is the classic authoritarian playbook: threaten, smear and lie, scare people into submission," Greenberg said.
Paulo, at the Washington protest, said the current moment reminded him of growing up under a military dictatorship in Brazil.
"I have an incredible sensation of deja vu in terms of measures that are being taken in terms of law enforcement, in terms of cult of personality," he said.
Addressing the crowd outside the US Capitol, progressive Senator Bernie Sanders warned of the dangers democracy faced under Trump.
"We have a president who wants more and more power in his own hands and in the hands of his fellow oligarchs," he said, the mention of "oligarchs" eliciting loud boos from the crowd.
Isaac Harder, 16, said he feared for his generation's future.
"They're destroying democracy. They're cracking down on peaceful protests and sending the military to American cities. They're arresting political opponents and deporting people without due process.
"It's a fascist trajectory. And I want to do anything I can to stop that."
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
Some Signs I Saw at the No Kings Rally
If we are going to save the country, it’s clear it’s going to have to be done by the millions of people like those who attended this rally.
People participate in a “No Kings” national day of protest in New York on October 18, 2025. (Photo by Timothy A.Clary/AFP via Getty Images)
The rally was in Livermore, California, a burgh of about 85,000, 50 miles to the east of San Francisco. This is a small, exemplary sampling of the many hundreds of signs carried by the many thousands of protesters.
“Memo to the fascists: peaceful protest is not violent insurrection.” RECOMMENDED...
“The manifesto of resistance is called ’The Constitution.‘”
“Freedom doesn’t wear a crown.”
“I believe Stormy Daniels.”
“Hope is stronger than fear.”
“I’m not taking civics lessons from a 34-time convicted felon.”
“Power of the people is stronger than the people in power.”
“In a time of pervasive lying, truth-telling becomes a revolutionary act.” ~George Orwell
Trump has learned how to neuter those centers of power that might challenge him: law firms, universities, media, etc. His press secretary has called Democrats, “terrorists” and “criminals,” a predicate for silencing or eliminating them. If we are going to save the country, it’s clear it’s going to have to be done by the millions of people like those who attended this rally. Get YOUR signs ready. It’s going to be a long march.
'No Kings' rallies in Germany, France, Spain
The protest in Berlin drew US citizens living in Germany who are distraught by the events in their home countryImage: Christian Mang/REUTERS
As protesters gather across the US, there are also rallies being held in major European cities such as Berlin, Paris and Madrid.
In Berlin, protesters gathered in the Pariser Platz square, which is not only home to the iconic Brandenburg Gate but also the US Embassy.
"Berlin Germany showed up today to join a protest against authoritarianism and raise their voices for democracy. Americans all over the world know that We the People hold the power," Democrats Abroad posted on its official X account.
"We the People" is a reference to the opening phrase of the Preamble to the US Constitution.
Several hundred Americans showed up for the rally in Paris
Image: Vincent Isore/IP3press/IMAGO
In Paris, demonstrators carried signs such as "Resist Tyranny," with the Statue of Liberty a frequent motif at the event.
The Statue of Liberty was gifted from France to the US in 1886 to celebrate American independence and the close ties between the two countries.
Anti-Trump protesters gathered at the Puerta del Sol in downtown MadridImage: Bernat Armangue/AP Photo/picture alliance
There was also a protest in the Spanish capital, Madrid, and other demonstrations were reported in cities such as Malaga.
