Critics of President Trump fanned out all over Arizona and the rest of the country on Saturday for the latest round of No Kings protests.
That included thousands of people in Tempe, who gathered on and around a U.S. 60 pedestrian bridge near Cole Park.
Sherri Strauss had taken part in the first two No Kings protests, in June and October of 2025. And she said Saturday’s crowd was the biggest one yet.
“There are a lot more people here,” she said. “I’m very happy to see more young people and parents bringing their kids. And that’s the big change I see, just the amount of people involved.”
She was holding a sign imploring Americans to “vote out the fascists” when the midterm elections take place on Nov. 3, 2026.
“I think there are more people who see that MAGA is a fascist government. And the more people that see that, the more they realize they have to speak out. I mean, that’s why I have ‘VOTE’ on my sign.
“We can’t change things without voting,” she added. “And if you look at how many people did not bother to vote in the last presidential election – and every election – you see that every vote really does count, from the very smallest election.”
Wave Thomas had also taken part in previous No Kings protests, albeit in Hartford, Connecticut.
“I just wanted to show my support,” the recent Tempe transplant said. “I believe in freedom of speech and using our voice and defending our democracy in a civil way, so I’m out here to boost the numbers.”
He’s concerned about domestic issues, like affordability, education and infrastructure. But he’s also alarmed by the Trump administration’s foreign policy, and wants to see a dramatically different approach.
“Dealing with our allies and our adversaries in a way that can foster diplomacy, instead of just, you know, bombing people willy-nilly like we’re doing now,” he said. “So, leading by example, as a nation.”
David Withey joined the protest in Tempe on Saturday, after demonstrating in Phoenix on the two previous No Kings days.
“I think that we need to get together as a people and oppose what our government is doing right now,” he said. “Our government — meaning the national government — I think the state and local governments are under attack by the national government, which is unprecedented, it’s never happened before.”
A longtime lawyer, Withey says he has dedicated his life to the rule of law — something he thinks the Trump administration is trampling on.
“And this is one way that I feel I can protest that,” he said. ”I can make a statement by being here with all of these other people today. And I would encourage other people to do the same. Whatever they can do in this environment, they need to do while there’s time to do it.”
After taking part in previous protests, Tempe resident Fred DePrez was working Saturday as a volunteer with Tempe Rising Indivisible, a grass-roots nonprofit that supports democracy and human rights.
“I am out here today just to make sure that people are able to express their First Amendment rights safely, and help make sure that everybody is comfortable and taken care of.”
He said one of the goals of Saturday’s gathering was to help people see that many Americans are feeling disenfranchised by — and disillusioned with — the government.
“A lot of what today is, I think, is just about solidarity and making sure that people understand that they’re not alone and they do have a pathway to create change.”
Strauss said it’s natural for there to be disagreements in politics. But she’s concerned that the Trump administration is aggressively erasing voices of dissent.
“For me, it’s just the erosion of democracy in general,” she said. “I mean, you can go on and on about every issue out there, and you’re always going to have two opinions. But the core is that we have a democracy, not an autocracy — and that’s what MAGA is trying to change us into.”
What impact can protests make?
There was widespread consensus among the protesters that no matter how much noise the national No Kings crowds make, President Trump and his administration aren’t listening.
“Unfortunately I don’t think the current administration cares a whole lot about what the majority of Americans feel or think,” DePrez said.
But even if the administration is unfazed, DePrez sees value in collectively voicing concerns.
“I’m hopeful that events like this help those Americans that feel unheard and disempowered to feel more empowered.”
Strauss is also hopeful that the protests can serve as an effective show of political force. And either way, they are uplifting for the participants.
“I know that they’re effective for the people involved, because I know that I feel invigorated to continue what I’m doing when I see other people like-minded, even though there’s a lot of hate out there,” she said. “When I come to these rallies, there’s a lot of unity and kindness.”
Withey agreed. And he hopes more people feel compelled to speak out.
“I think the protests are effective in showing that there are people who are willing to stand up and say ‘no’ to what’s happening,” he said. “There are a few people that like what’s happening. There are a lot of people who are not saying anything about it. And then there are people who are saying things about it, and that needs to happen more.”
Timelapse of protesters at No Kings rally in downtown Phoenix
A red hat in a sea of blue
As progressive voices flooded the area with chants and songs criticizing Trump and his administration, there was at least one ardent support of the president among the Tempe crowd.
Edward O’Brien, sitting on a bicycle and wearing a red “Make America Great Again” hat, said he hadn’t been to any previous No Kings demonstrations. But he lives in the neighborhood where the protesters gathered Saturday, so this time he wanted to check it out.
“I wanted to see the insanity,” he said.
O’Brien said of the 13 U.S. presidents in his lifetime, Trump is unrivaled.
“He’s the best one we’ve ever had, of those 13. He’s by far the best one we’ve ever had. I always thought Ronald Reagan was a great president. He’s got Ronald Reagan beat.”
Many of the Tempe protesters carried signs that focused on specific issues and actions, such as Trump’s criminal convictions, the administration’s elimination of environmental protections, funding cuts, the invasion of Iran, and the killing by ICE agents of American citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
Still, O’Brien said Trump’s critics would be hard-pressed to find legitimate fault with the president.
“Basically I have one question for all these people that hate Trump: Tell me one thing — just one, not ten, not a thousand, one thing — that Donald Trump has done to harm this country. Name one. Can’t do it.”
He said Trump’s critics simply hate the president, and can’t back up their critiques when pressed.
“On the other hand, if you look at his record of accomplishment, in the very short time of 11 months he’s been in office, it’s beyond belief what he’s done,” O’Brien said. “It’s beyond belief what he’s done for this country, OK? He has formatively changed not only this country, but the world, OK? And if you can’t see that, you’re absolutely blind.”
Organizers of Saturday's No Kings rallies across the country are predicting that the protests against the actions of President Donald Trump and his administration could add up to one of the largest demonstrations in U.S. history, with Minnesota taking center stage.
Organizers say more than 3,100 events have been registered in all 50 states, with more than 9 million people expected to participate.
In Washington, hundreds of marchers moved through the streets, past the Lincoln Memorial and into the National Mall, holding signs that read “Put down the crown, clown” and “Regime change begins at home.” Demonstrators rang bells, played drums and chanted “No kings.”
The Trump administration's aggressive immigration enforcement actions, particularly in Minnesota, were just one item on a long list of protesters' grievances that also included the war in Iran and the Trump administration's rollback of transgender rights.
In New York City, Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, described Trump as the nation's “Bully in Chief” and said Minneapolis residents “forced the wannabe king to withdraw his shock troops."
“They want us all to be afraid to protest,” she said during a news conference. “They want us to be afraid that there’s nothing we can do to stop them. But you know what? They are wrong — dead wrong.
GOP official calls events ‘Hate America Rallies'
Jackson said in a statement that the “only people who care about these Trump Derangement Therapy Sessions are the reporters who are paid to cover them.”
’The White House dismissed the rallies. Spokesperson Abigail Jackson described the protests as the product of “leftist funding networks” with little real public support.
Jackson said in a statement that the “only people who care about these Trump Derangement Therapy Sessions are the reporters who are paid to cover them.”
The National Republican Congressional Committee was also sharply critical.
“These Hate America Rallies are where the far-left’s most violent, deranged fantasies get a microphone," said Maureen O'Toole, spokesperson for the NRCC.
Rallies to be held across the U.S. and in Europe
Rallies are also planned in more than a dozen other countries, from Europe to Latin America to Australia, Ezra Levin, a co-executive director of Indivisible, a group spearheading the events, said in an interview. Countries with constitutional monarchies call the protests “No Tyrants,” he said.
For those unable to attend in person, another activist group, Stand Up For Science, is hosting a “virtual and accessible” event online.
On Saturday morning in Paris, several hundred people, mostly Americans living in France, along with French labor unions and human rights organizations, gathered at the Bastille.
“I protest all of Trump’s illegal, immoral, reckless, and feckless, endless wars,” Ada Shen, the Paris No Kings organizer, said.
In Rome, thousands of people marched with defiant chants aimed at Premier Giorgia Meloni, whose right-wing government saw its referendum for streamlining Italy's judiciary badly fail earlier this week amid criticism that it was a threat to the courts' independence. Protesters waved banners protesting the Israeli and US attacks on Iran, calling for “A world free from wars.”
In London, people protesting the war in Iran held banners that said, “Stop the far right” and “Stand up to Racism.”
Organizers expect this to be larger than other No Kings protests
U.S. organizers told reporters in an online news conference Thursday that they expect Saturday's protests to be larger than the first two rounds of No Kings rallies, which they estimate drew more than 5 million people in June and more than 7 million in October.
Two-thirds of the RSVPs have come from outside of major urban centers, Greenberg said, listing registration surges in conservative-leaning states like Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Utah, South Dakota and Louisiana, as well in competitive suburban areas of Pennsylvania, Georgia and Arizona.
“This administration’s actions are angering not just Democratic voters or folks in big blue city centers — they are crossing a line for people in red and rural areas, in the suburbs, all over the country,” said Leah Greenberg, the other co-executive director of Indivisible.
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