The No Kings Protests 2.0 weren’t just massive — they were historic. Seven million Americans filled 2,700 cities and towns, from Chicago to Santa Monica to small communities that hadn’t seen marches in decades. They did it knowing Trump had called them “terrorists.” They showed up anyway. They danced, sang, carried dogs with handmade signs, and proved that the radicals in this story weren’t the ones marching — they were the ones in power trying to silence them. Not one arrest in Chicago. Not one in New York. Just a sea of people reminding the world that democracy still breathes.
When Trump calls dissent “treason,” protest becomes the most patriotic act there is. You could see that truth written in the faces of every person who showed up, defiant in the face of fear. He can bulldoze the Rose Garden, build a ballroom for billionaires, and send ICE into our neighborhoods — but he can’t bulldoze a movement. “Every one of those 7 million people was doing it despite the president saying you’re at risk of being arrested as a terrorist.” That’s courage. That’s America as it’s supposed to be: loud, fearless, and unwilling to kneel before a king.
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No Kings protest in Santa Monica, Calif. | Susan J. Demas
The protests weren’t just about rage — they were about recognition. We saw the quiet joy of people who’d forgotten what solidarity felt like. A teacher marching next to a veteran. Parents bringing their kids. Someone in rural areas holding signs that read, We stand with Chicago. This wasn’t partisan; it was personal. A shared insistence that our government serve people, not power. For a few hours, the air felt different — alive with possibility.
If you ever start to think this fight is lost, remember that it isn’t. You are not alone. There are millions of us ready to march beside you, to stand where others back down, to hold the line for the country we still believe in. Do not give them your despair. Do not mistake exhaustion for defeat. Cause good trouble. The story of this country isn’t finished — we just have to keep writing it together.
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