LOS ANGELES (Diya TV) — On June 14, as President Donald Trump celebrated his 79th birthday and the U.S. Army marked its 250th anniversary, Americans in all 50 states participated in a sweeping day of protest dubbed the “No Kings” movement. From small towns to major cities, an estimated five million people joined over 2,100 rallies in a coordinated rebuke of what organizers call Trump’s “authoritarian overreach.”
The protests, orchestrated by a coalition of civil rights groups including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), were deliberately planned to avoid Washington, D.C., where Trump had scheduled a military parade. Organizers said they wanted to avoid confrontation after Trump warned that any protest at the event would be met with “very big force.” Instead, they opted to spread their message nationwide.
“We chose not to confront tanks with signs,” one organizer said. “We chose community, connection, and resistance in every corner of the country.”
The ACLU stated in a press release that more than five million people turned out across the U.S. Protesters rallied around core themes including immigration justice, democratic values, and opposition to the militarization of civilian spaces.
In New York City, more than 50,000 demonstrators marched through the streets chanting, “What do we want? No ICE! When do we want it? Now!” Placards read “No Deportation! Trump Must Go!” and “No Justice, No Peace!”
California saw the largest turnout, with over 100,000 people protesting in more than 200 locations, according to organizers. Even the small mountain town of Idyllwild, population 3,600, counted 600 protesters. Los Angeles, where tensions have been high following recent deportation raids, drew an estimated 25,000 people. “It’s not harsh, it’s evil. You don’t separate families,” said Jose Azetcla, a member of the civil rights group the Brown Berets, speaking to the BBC in L.A.
In Atlanta, thousands gathered at Liberty Plaza near the Georgia State Capitol, holding signs and singing a reworked version of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” now chanted as “Take Trump Out of the White House.”
In Philadelphia, protesters filled Love Park, waving American flags and signs defending democracy. “I just feel like we need to defend our democracy,” Karen Van Trieste, a 61-year-old nurse, told the Associated Press, citing staffing cuts to public health agencies as one of her motivations for joining.
Houston saw one of the largest Southern turnouts with 15,000 mostly young demonstrators. One speaker captured the mood: “No Kings! Just like today, we don’t need Donald Trump as king.”
Smaller communities also showed up. In Greenville, Ohio, a traditionally conservative town, dozens braved police warnings to gather in a downtown roundabout. In Miami, near the Torch of Friendship, demonstrators banged pots and pans as passing cars honked in support.
Some elected officials took active roles. Newark, N.J., Mayor Ras Baraka traveled to multiple rallies across the state. “People who don’t defend immigrants won’t defend me either,” he said. “We have to defend that right and defend it vociferously.”
The day’s events remained largely peaceful. Law enforcement and elected officials across the country encouraged nonviolence—a message echoed by the protest organizers, who emphasized unity and democratic values over confrontation.
The military parade in Washington, D.C.—an unusual event timed for both the Army’s birthday and Trump’s—went forward without major incident, although critics described it as a theatrical “display of dominance.”
