No Kings protests: What to expect at Saturday’s marches around the country

Demonstrators across the U.S. are expected to take to the streets by the millions on Saturday, organizers say, to protest the policies of President Trump. The marches are part of the No Kings movement, which has accused the president of behaving more like a monarch than an elected official.

This will be the second massive wave of protests organized by No Kings — a network of progressive organizations fighting against Trump’s agenda.

“In June, we did what many claimed was impossible: peacefully mobilized millions of people to take to the streets and declare with one voice: America has No Kings,” the group states on its website.

The overwhelmingly peaceful June protests were in response to a military parade held on the Army’s 250th anniversary — which coincided with Trump’s 79th birthday.

Critics said Trump had pushed for the extravagant parade not to commemorate the armed forces, but as a display of his own vanity.

“Now, President Trump has doubled down,” No Kings states on its website, citing immigration detentions carried out by often-masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, the administration’s aggressive slashing of federal education resources and environmental protections, gerrymandering and other concerns.

No Kings organizers estimated that more than 5 million people turned out for the June protests. They speculate that Saturday’s event could be even bigger.

House Speaker Mike Johnson has slammed the event as a “hate America rally,” and other Republicans have derided the event as anti-American.

Responding to NPR’s questions about the protests, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said: “Who cares?”

Republican Govs. Glenn Youngkin of Virginia and Greg Abbott of Texas, in preparation for the day of protesters, mobilized their states’ National Guards.

“The Governor has authorized state active duty for training to help ensure the Guard will be ready to respond if needed to help keep people safe,” Youngkin spokesman Peter Finocchio wrote in a statement to VPM.

The Texas Newsroom reported that Abbott said in a statement: “Violence and destruction will never be tolerated in Texas. Texas will deter criminal mischief and work with local law enforcement to arrest anyone engaging in acts of violence or damaging property.”

Speaking to Connecticut Public, that state’s lead organizer, Jim Chapdelaine, reiterated the group’s commitment to peace and the importance of showing up for what you believe in.

“There are powers that be that would prefer we all just stay at our houses and, I don’t know, take up crochet,” Chapdelaine said in a Tuesday interview. “It’s really important to build community and solidarity and unity, [and] especially important to do that in a very peaceful way.”