On Saturday, tens of thousands of Americans took to the streets in more than 200 cities to protest President Donald Trump’s policies and his evening military parade in Washington DC. Organized under the banner “No Kings,” the demonstrations were largely peaceful but marked by isolated clashes with law enforcement in Los Angeles and heightened security deployments nationwide.
Los Angeles: Tear Gas and National Guard Confrontations
Downtown Los Angeles saw the largest and most intense action. After an afternoon of peaceful marching and chants of “No ICE,” remaining protesters were ordered to disperse. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, some demonstrators threw rocks, bricks and commercial-grade fireworks at officers and National Guard troops stationed outside a federal courthouse. In response, law enforcement declared an unlawful assembly and deployed tear gas, pepper-spray rounds and flash grenades to clear the area.
Protester Crystal Flores described the scene: “We are here unarmed, handing out water and serving as medics. Yet the National Guard pushed us back with shields.” An emergency alert warning of an unlawful assembly flashed on mobile phones across the city shortly before the 8 pm curfew took effect.
Philadelphia: A Diverse, “Historic” Turnout
In Philadelphia, police estimated nearly 100,000 marchers converged on City Hall, creating one of the largest protest crowds of the day. Demonstrators carried signs reading “No Kings” and “Liberty and Justice for All,” criticizing what they saw as executive overreach, including the deployment of National Guard troops to Los Angeles and expansion of immigration enforcement raids.
Organiser Vicki Miller called the turnout “historic,” saying, “We do it to show the country and the world that we have the power—and we won’t stand for what’s happening in Washington.”
Motivations: Immigration, Executive Power, Economic Cuts
Many protesters cited Trump’s aggressive ICE raids in sanctuary cities as their catalyst for action. Immigration lawyer Joaquin Talleva, who moved to the US at age four, said, “My clients are scared to death. This is heartless undermining of the Constitution.” Others, like aspiring doctor Sofia Martinez, decried cuts to healthcare and research funding. Martinez’s sister noted, “We pledge allegiance to ‘liberty and justice for all,’ yet policies hollow that promise every day.”
Washington DC: Military Parade and Parallel Events
In the nation’s capital, Trump presided over what he billed as the “Greatest Military Parade in US History,” coinciding with his June 14 birthday. Armored vehicles, flyovers and veteran ceremonies took place under tight security, while smaller “No Kings” demonstrations near the National Mall were quickly dispersed by Secret Service and Metropolitan Police, with no major incidents reported.
National Guard and Federal Deployment
Earlier in the week, Trump sent thousands of National Guard troops and Marines to Los Angeles—despite local authorities’ opposition—to support ICE operations and prepare for protests. Several state governors and mayors nationwide criticized the move as an unnecessary militarization of domestic politics. In Minnesota, planned “No Kings” rallies were cancelled after Wednesday’s politically motivated shootings of two Democratic lawmakers and their spouses.
Looking Ahead: Political Fallout and Legal Questions
The coordinated protests underscore deep public divisions over Trump’s approach to immigration, use of federal force against American citizens, and expansion of executive power. With midterm elections looming, both parties will likely use these events to energize their bases. Meanwhile, legal experts are examining whether the nationwide troop deployments and curfews infringe on constitutional rights to free speech and assembly.
As dusk fell on Saturday’s demonstrations, the message was clear: a significant portion of the country refuses to accept unchecked presidential authority—or what they view as a slide toward authoritarianism—under any guise, even one as spectacle-driven as a military birthday parade.
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