The political temperature in Washington is boiling over ahead of this weekend’s nationwide “No Kings” protest, a massive anti-Trump demonstration that MAGA Republicans are already portraying as a threat to public safety.
Conservative lawmakers and right-wing commentators spent the week branding participants as “terrorists” and “unhinged radicals,” even calling for the National Guard to be put on standby. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned investors Wednesday that the rally would consist of “the farthest left, the hardest core, the most unhinged in the Democratic Party.”
House GOP Whip Tom Emmer went further, labeling the protest a “terrorist” and “hate rally backed by the left.” House Speaker Mike Johnson echoed that tone, accusing Democrats of keeping the government shutdown deliberately because “they can’t face their rabid base.” Senator Roger Marshall told Newsmax, “We’ll have to get the National Guard out. Hopefully, it will be peaceful. I doubt it.”
Despite the outrage on the right, organizers expect Saturday’s protest to become the largest single day of demonstrations in modern U.S. history. Early tallies show over 2,500 registered events across the nation, already surpassing the roughly 2,100 that took place during the last “No Kings” rally in June.
Democratic organizations and grassroots groups hope that they will have a positive effect on voters during the next year midterm election. The coalition behind the event includes Indivisible, Public Citizen, MoveOn, the ACLU, Human Rights Campaign, and Working Families Power. The message that is to be delivered by the protest is clear, it is one of unity and defiance against what they view as an increasingly authoritarian administration.
Hunter Dunn, a spokesman for the organizing group 50501, told The Daily Beast that the protest aims to counter the administration’s escalation of power. “Trump is going into American cities and declaring that they’re war zones—when they’re the ones tear-gassing peaceful protesters in Chicago or shooting rubber bullets at priests in Portland, or targeting journalists in LA,” Dunn said.
“So this event is a show of solidarity. Getting millions of people around the world, and hundreds of thousands of your neighbors all together, is powerful.”
Mike Johnson says anyone participating in the No Kings rallies this weekend to protest the corrupt and authoritarian Trump regime is a Hamas supporter or Antifa.
pic.twitter.com/R09ui4O9OK— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) October 15, 2025
The earlier “No Kings” protest drew an estimated five million people nationwide, uniting small-town demonstrators and big-city crowds under a common slogan rejecting Trump’s broad use of executive authority. That rally came amid anger over what critics described as President Trump and his “first buddy” Elon Musk “taking an axe to the civil service.”
Since then, Trump’s administration has expanded deportation operations by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, intensified military deployments in Democratic-led cities, and passed legislation that opponents say undermines health care, civil rights, and free expression. Supporters argue that these moves restore law and order, while critics see them as an assault on American democracy itself.
The unrest intensified this week after a violent incident in Chicago became a point of talking. According to the Department of Homeland Security, a red SUV driven by a suspected undocumented person “rammed” a Border Patrol vehicle before trying to flee. Agents pursued and ultimately crashed into the SUV, igniting fury among residents.
Witnesses say the confrontation spiraled rapidly as local crowds confronted federal officers. In response, agents fired tear gas canisters into the streets, dispersing residents already angry about what they see as an invasion of federal force in their communities.
For many, the Chicago clash shows what the “No Kings” movement stands against: the idea that federal agents and troops can operate in cities under sweeping executive orders.
No Kings Day is October 18. Please get out and PEACEFULLY protest as I will be doing! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/4FKNguxL3V
— Annie (@AnnieForTruth) October 13, 2025
Tensions mounted further when President Donald Trump publicly vowed “to go city by city” using federal troops to “crack down on crime,” insisting the actions were “for the good of the country.” He has also signaled a willingness to invoke the Insurrection Act if federal courts continue blocking his agenda.
As millions prepare to march this weekend, it would be interesting to see how the MAGA reactions unfold as millions join on the street. It is also to be seen if the Trump administration would use measures of force on the protestors who aim to keep things peaceful.
