On Oct. 18, 2025, the 18th day of the government shutdown, the country came together for the No Kings Protest, a movement rising for democracy. Massive crowds in big cities and smaller gatherings occurred all over the U.S. to protest the Trump Administration. About seven million people participated, topping the first round of No Kings protests in June that had about five million people in attendance. These protests also set a record for the highest single-day protest turnout in the U.S. There were 2,700 events taking place in all 50 states. People pulled together to protest the backsliding of democracy that has recently been seen as President Trump moves further into his term, and showcases authoritarian decisions such as the ICE raids, federal funding cuts, attempts to bend universities to his will, and troop deployments into major cities. This is important because protests performed at key moments in time have been successful in swaying governments into listening to their people. The increase in support for these protests shows the growing opposition to an authoritarian leader. Hopefully, this will lead to policy changes within the Trump administration.
The protests were peaceful, and the majority of big cities across the country reported zero arrests, according to City officials. Organizers practiced nonviolence and de-escalation training to further ensure these protests were peaceful. Trump stated, “They have the devil’s ideology. … They seem to become very violent on the left.” In response to comments like these, many people came dressed in silly costumes and treated it as a fun social event to further prove that the point of this protest is to peacefully dissent against the authoritarian government that the U.S. is slowly falling into. A significant number of people chose to wear yellow, which is a color associated with nonviolent movements. Every measure taken throughout the organization and during the protest was to promote a peaceful way to dissent from Trump’s actions in becoming an imperial leader. Many politicians have emphasized that these protests need to remain peaceful, so Trump could not enact the Insurrection Act. This is a federal law that allows the president to deploy military force, including active troops and federalized National Guard within the U.S., as domestic law enforcement in cases to suppress insurrection, rebellion, or domestic violence. By continuing to keep the protests peaceful, there will be no grounds to enact this law.
Without the ability to enact the Insurrection Act, President Trump and Vice President JD Vance took to the internet and posted memes of Trump as a king. One AI video depicts Trump in a fighter jet dumping feces on protesters, attempting to make fun of and demean the purpose of the protest. Trump and Vance stated they were making fun of the claims that Trump acts as a king. If not for the actions Trump has taken in response to these protests, these memes may have been taken lightly. Yet, the actions made by his administration appear to reinforce concerns expressed by the “No Kings” protest, like continuing his aggressive immigration tactic, challenging the authority of Congress and the courts, cutting federal funding, and many other things. As Trump’s behavior continues, it seems he has no plans of stopping the government shutdown, and he plans to continue his many authoritarian decisions, such as detaining CNN journalists and deploying the National Guard for domestic law. He called the protest on the 18th “small” and “ineffective. This seems just to be the start of the “No Kings” protest. The organization is continuously working to find peaceful ways to protest and continue their movement to support the rise of democracy. With work, this movement will grow and make it harder for President Trump to ignore.
In Michigan, there were many locations, including Ferndale, Detroit, and Ann Arbor. In Ann Arbor, protesters lined a 2-mile-long stretch of the stadium’s boulevard. In downtown Detroit, people gathered in Roosevelt Park. Many Detroiters are sporting signs that protest Republicans’ demands to deploy the national guard in Detroit to control “major crime.” With many Michigan politicians sharing support for the protest, including Attorney General Dana Nessel and State Senator Mallory McMorrow, there is hope that more will come to continue fighting the backsliding of democracy in America.
These protests will go down in history, no matter what; it has set records and expressed people’s biggest fears of where America is going. Organizers have done a very good job at ensuring the protest is peaceful and effective. As the movement continues and grows, the hope is that the government will be forced to listen to its people
