Trump Deploys Troops Ahead of Massive ‘No Kings’ Protests Across the US

By Staff, Agencies

US President Donald Trump has vowed to crack down on dissent and deployed troops to several major cities, as his administration and allies accuse the decentralized antifascist network Antifa of orchestrating upcoming nationwide demonstrations. Critics, however, argue the White House is seeking a pretext to suppress political opposition.

Despite the heightened security, millions of Americans are expected to join Saturday’s second wave of “No Kings” protests denouncing what organizers describe as Trump’s growing authoritarianism.

The first round of demonstrations in June drew millions across more than 2,000 locations. Organizers say the upcoming protests — planned in over 2,500 cities and towns — are set to be even larger.

“Their goal is to dissuade you from participating,” said Ezra Levin, cofounder of Indivisible, one of the groups leading the movement. “That doesn’t mean that everybody has the same threat level… but it does mean we’re going to need to see a lot of courage out there on Saturday.”

More than 200 organizations have joined the October 18 demonstrations, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Public Citizen, SEIU, MoveOn, United We Dream, and the Human Rights Campaign.

The protest coalition 50501, advocating coordinated actions across all 50 states, is also a partner.

According to the Harvard Crowd Counting Consortium, 2025 has already witnessed “far more protests” than the same period in 2017.

The June “No Kings” marches ranked among the largest single-day demonstrations since Trump took office — second only to the 2017 Women’s March.

The No Kings movement says its message is simple: Trump is acting like a monarch, and Americans reject kingship.

Organizers cite what they describe as the president’s “increasing authoritarian excesses and corruption,” including mass deportations, assaults on healthcare, and favoritism toward billionaires.