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Anti-Trump 'No Kings' Protests Turn Partisan
· Confirmed
In Short: Newsday reported that the 'No Kings' movement, which has drawn millions of anti-Trump protesters nationwide, is mobilizing with a new mission: harnessing outrage at President Trump to drive voter turnout for the midterms.
Anti-Trump 'No Kings' protests, aimed at driving voter turnout for the midterms, saw some demonstrators defy organizers' nonpartisan rules.
Fox News reported that some protesters, like Cruz Hernandez, openly called for Democrats to win the House and Senate, despite organizers' insistence that the demonstrations remain nonpartisan.
Hernandez, standing beside her boyfriend Noah Schwarzott and their Maltese-poodle Maybellene, told Fox News, 'We got to take the power away from Trump, from the Republicans.'
NPR noted that while some protests, like the one on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, were nonpartisan, others focused on spreading information on how to vote early.
Ezra Levin, co-founder of Indivisible, one of the major organizations within the No Kings network, said, 'The first three No Kings were designed to send a message.'
Organizers are hoping to build an 'on-ramp into election protection work,' the group's website says, 'needed to defend our votes locally.'
Al Jazeera (Qatar) reported that the planned events, dubbed 'No Kings: Vote Early,' were billed as nonpartisan, though they sought to build on nearly two years' worth of No Kings marches and demonstrations.
Al Jazeera quoted organizers as saying, 'It’s a day of nonpartisan voter participation: we are bringing our community together to make a plan to vote early and ensuring every eligible voter understands their options for how to vote and has the opportunity to make their voice heard.'
Despite organizers' efforts, some protesters openly rejected the nonpartisan description, with one protester marching on H Street NW by the White House openly rejecting the nonpartisan label.
Fox News reported that Nadine Seiler, a self-described 'professional protester,' was asked whether she agreed with organizers' insistence that the demonstration was nonpartisan.
Seiler's comments directly contradicted the written instructions of the national 'No Kings' organization and its leaders at the Indivisible nonprofit, prohibiting calls to 'vote Blue,' elect Democrats or endorse candidates and target individuals.
Hernandez ended by introducing Maybellene and declaring that the dog was 'telling you to vote for Don Beyer,' a Democratic member of Congress who represents Alexandria, Arlington, and other Northern Virginia communities.
What this adds
The protests, which have drawn millions of anti-Trump protesters nationwide, are mobilizing with a new mission: harnessing outrage at President Trump to drive voter turnout for the midterms.
Background
The 'No Kings' movement, which has drawn millions of anti-Trump protesters nationwide, is mobilizing with a new mission: harnessing outrage at President Trump to drive voter turnout for the midterm elections.
What's confirmed
- No Kings has more than 3,000 events planned across the US.
What's still developing
- "We are aware of partisan events circulating online that are not affiliated with or officially organized by No Kings. Many people utilize the No Kings name as a rallying cry."
- Holiday Gift Guide Donate Marketplace Breadcrumb Home Politics & Policy Elections Anti-Trump ‘No Kings’ protests taking place across nation Protestors are trying to rally Democrats to turn out to vote early before Election Day.
- By Nicholas Ballasy Published: October 17, 2026 4:59pm Article Dig Deeper Anti-Trump "No Kings" protests are taking place in cities across the country on Saturday.
- "I studied checks and balances in school for this."
- Next to both of them: a sign reading "VOTE EARLY." The donkey, the floating head and the voting sign were all part of the "No Kings: Vote Early" day of action.
- Credit: Rick Kopstein Credit: Rick Kopstein The " No Kings " movement, which since last year has drawn millions of anti-Trump protesters nationwide, is mobilizing across Long Island and the country starting Saturday with a new mission: harnessing outrage at President Donald Trump to drive voter turnout for the midterm elections.
- The first No Kings protest, on June 14, 2025, overlapped with Trump’s 79th birthday and a military parade he convened in Washington, D.C., to mark the Army's 250th birthday.
- "A core principle" of the No Kings events nationwide is "nonviolent action and no civil disobedience," and participants are expected "to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values," the website says.
- Organizers are also hoping to build an "on-ramp into election protection work," the group's website says, "needed to defend our votes locally." Long Island has No Kings events scheduled so far in Great Neck, Hampton Bays, Lake Grove, Merrick, Miller Place, Lindenhurst/Babylon, Patchogue, Port Jefferson Station, Riverhead, South Huntington, and the Tri-Hamlets of Mastic, Mastic Beach and Shirley.
- The movement is called "No Kings" to send an anti-authoritarian message to oppose Trump’s muscular use of executive power and what critics say is overreach on issues such as immigration and military deployment in American cities.
- Hundreds of groups back the No Kings movement, including the ACLU, labor unions, environmentalists, left-leaning organizations and others, but events are typically conceived and planned locally, with the national website offering a portal for those interested in hosting.
- His administration sued California election officials Thursday, asking a judge to bar the state from counting mail-in ballots for the midterm elections from people whom the federal government has identified as “likely” noncitizens until their immigration status can be confirmed.