On 18 October, protests against President Trump's authoritarian drift were held in more than 2,700 American cities. More than 7 million people took to the streets.

Millions of people took to the streets across the United States to protest against Donald Trump's policies. The demonstrations swept through more than two thousand cities, where people marched peacefully behind the slogan "No Kings", in reference to the president's authoritarian drift. From aggressive and repressive immigration policies to the restriction of reproductive rights, through the management of urban security and budget cuts, the protesters' criticism spared nothing of the Trump administration's record. The administration responded with a series of artificial intelligence-generated videos aimed at ridiculing the protests — videos that, in reality, only confirmed the US president's allergy to dissent.

On 18 October, the United States was swept by a wave of protests against President Donald Trump and his administration's actions. In New York, there were at least 100,000 people, according to organisers. In the capital Washington, as many as 200,000 — where socialist Bernie Sanders was also spotted. In total, demonstrations were held in approximately 2,700 cities, drawing more than seven million people.

Thank you to the millions of Americans who turned out in small communities and big cities all over this country to say loudly and boldly: No more kings. In America, We the People will rule. pic.twitter.com/L6OPUx99yd

All of the protests were extremely peaceful — in part to push back against accusations from Trump himself, who, following the murder of right-wing extremist Charlie Kirk, had labelled his opponents "violent" without making any distinction whatsoever. It is also for this reason that the demonstrations were very colourful, featuring inflatable costumes, artwork, music and an almost carnival-like atmosphere — all to reaffirm the non-violent nature of those who oppose Trumpism.

The galaxy of organisers was highly heterogeneous, ranging from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), an organisation dedicated to civil rights and liberties, to numerous other local and national groups. Students, teachers, retired military personnel and lawyers all took part, with participants pointing the finger at the authoritarian drift of the Trump administration — a concept encapsulated in the demonstrations' slogan: "No Kings".

Protesters challenged the Trump administration on several fronts: from immigration raids that have resulted in actual deportations abroad, to the deployment of federal troops in cities governed by the Democratic Party — stoking fears of a security emergency that does not, in fact, exist — to the dismantling of various federal agencies and departments, such as the one responsible for Diversity and Inclusion, the restriction of voting rights, and the attack on women's reproductive rights.

The Trump administration, which had already faced protests in June, responded by attempting to ridicule and downplay the scale of the demonstrations. Donald Trump shared an AI-generated video in which he douses protesters with sewage, and similar content was amplified from the official accounts of his aides. The Trump administration also levelled accusations of anti-Americanism at the "No Kings" protesters, claiming that the Antifa movement — labelled as terrorist — was behind the protests.