‘No thrones, no crowns, no kings’: In rallies across America, millions hit the streets to protest Trump
A participant in the Los Angeles “No Kings” demonstration leads a chant as thousands march through the streets on Saturday, June 14, 2025. The “No Kings” protests drew large crowds in cities across the country to challenge the Trump administration. (Photo by Sydney Lovan/News21)
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Millions of people nationwide took to the streets on June 14, stirred by the same rallying cry: “No thrones, no crowns, no kings.” Many of those who participated in the “No Kings Day of Defiance” said they were driven to do so by President Donald Trump’s policies on immigration.
The Trump administration took 181 immigration-specific actions during his first 100 days in office, according to the Migration Policy Institute. Those policies have led to courtroom battles and on-the-ground protests like the ones all across America in June.
A coalition of groups came together to organize No Kings Day. The protests coincided with Trump’s June 14 military parade to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Army. Trump, whose birthday is also June 14, said when asked about the protests: “I don’t feel like a king. I have to go through hell to get stuff approved.”
People gather at the Essex County Historic Courthouse in Newark, N.J., for the “No Kings Day of Defiance.” (Photo by Marissa Lindemann/News21)
According to ACLED, a nonprofit that analyzes data about protest events worldwide, an estimated 5 million people attended over 1,600 “No Kings Day” events across the nation.
News21 dispatched journalists to demonstrations in Dallas, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Newark, New Jersey, to capture the historic day through their camera lenses.
Los Angeles
In the week leading up to the No Kings demonstration in Los Angeles, citizens had already taken to the streets to protest immigration raids in the city. Trump called in the National Guard and Marines as those protests resulted in over 500 arrests.
On June 6, Mayor Karen Bass issued a statement condemning the raids in a “proud city of immigrants.”
“These tactics sow terror in our communities and disrupt basic principles of safety in our city,” she said. “We will not stand for this.”
A week later, an estimated 200,000 took to the city’s streets for No Kings Day.
“No Kings” protesters gather outside of the federal building in downtown Los Angeles. Disapproval of President Donald Trump’s immigration policies were a main focus of the demonstration. (Photo by Sydney Lovan/News21)
Protesters yell “Shame” and “Remember your oath” at Marines guarding the federal building in Los Angeles. (Photo by Sydney Lovan/News21)
Trump deployed thousands of Marines and National Guard troops to LA amid a string of anti-immigration protests in the days leading up to the “No Kings” demonstration. (Photo by Sydney Lovan/News21)
An onlooker watches as protesters march through downtown Los Angeles during the “No Kings” protest. LA police issued traffic advisories and updates throughout the day on its X account stating, “Please avoid the areas if possible.” (Photo by Sydney Lovan/News21)
Protesters walk through the streets of downtown Los Angeles during the “No Kings” protest. Mayor Karen Bass issued a statement opposing Trump’s decision to send troops to the city: “We will not stop making our voices heard until this ends, not just here in LA, but throughout our country.” (Photo by Sydney Lovan/News21)
Phoenix
The 108-degree weather didn’t deter people from gathering in Arizona’s biggest city. Even as medics attended to heat-related health issues, protesters at the state Capitol chanted “No Kings” and raised signs that read: “Due process for all,” “Honor the hands that harvest your crops,” and “We want liberty and justice for all.”
Ahead of the protest, Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs took to X to warn that violence and vandalism would not be tolerated.
“No Kings” protesters gather at the Arizona State Capitol. (Photo by Lee Ann Anderson/News21)
A “No Kings” protester at the Arizona Capitol carries a newspaper from when Trump was convicted last year in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election. (Photo by Abigail Wilt/News21)
A woman protests Trump’s immigration policies from a car at the Arizona Capitol. Many attendees opted to circle the building, honking horns and hoisting signs. (Photo by Lorenzo Gomez/News21)
Some protesters donned traditional dress at the Los Angeles “No Kings” protest. (Photo by Sydney Lovan/News21)
Cesar Alvarez chants while holding the American flag during a “No Kings” protest outside of Los Angeles City Hall. (Photo by Sydney Lovan/News21)
“No Kings” protesters yell at California Highway Patrol officers blocking an entrance to Highway 101 in downtown Los Angeles. (Photo by Sydney Lovan/News21)
Newark
In New Jersey’s biggest city, U.S. Reps. LaMonica McIver, Rob Menendez and Bonnie Watson Coleman joined in the protest. In February, the three Democrats made an unannounced visit to an immigration detention center in Elizabeth to inspect the facility.
Unlike at the Los Angeles protest, there was no overwhelming evidence of police presence. Organizers called for Trump’s impeachment as protesters marched in the streets.
“Our country is in a state of fascist takeover, and we need to stop it,” resident James Verrilli said. “Speaking out is just one way to do that.”
A “No Kings” protester holds a sign reading “Liberty and Justice for All” outside the Essex County Historic Courthouse in Newark, N.J. (Photo by Marissa Lindemann/News21)
“No Kings” protesters march through downtown Newark. (Photo by Marissa Lindemann/News21)
“No Kings” protesters hold signs outside the Essex County Historic Courthouse in Newark. “We need for you and people that you know, your community, your circle, to be engaged and informed about what is going on, because they want you to be asleep,” Democratic U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver said at the rally. (Photo by Marissa Lindemann/News21)
Thousands of people march through downtown Los Angeles. Ahead of the protests, California Gov. Gavin Newsom posted to his X account, saying “You don’t have to match the chaos. Choose calm. Choose peace.” (Photo by Sydney Lovan/News21)
Dallas
In Dallas, demonstrators gathered in front of City Hall. Police officers blocked off a perimeter in front of the building and by the J. Erik Jonsson Central Library.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott deployed over 5,000 Texas National Guard troops across the state ahead of the protests. In an X post, Abbott said the deployment was meant to “ensure peace & order.”
In Dallas, comedian Paula Poundstone spoke to the crowd, condemning the actions of the Trump administration and immigration agents. The protest call and response “Show me what democracy looks like!” “This is what democracy looks like!” reverberated through the streets, as demonstrators hoisted signs that read “Immigrants Built America” and “I’m A Veteran, Not a Sucker or a Loser.”
“Immigrants make America,” said participant Ava Gallegos, 18, whose father came to the U.S. from Mexico. “We build so many things. We contribute in so many ways.”
People gather for the “No Kings” protest outside of City Hall in Dallas. (Photo by Tristan E. M. Leach/News21)
A protester chants from a tree at the “No Kings” protest in Dallas. (Photo by Mia Hilkowitz/News21)
“No Kings” protesters carry a giant inflatable depicting Trump as a baby through downtown Los Angeles. (Photo by Sydney Lovan/News21)
News21 reporters Lorenzo Gomez, Mia Hilkowitz and David Scibilia contributed to this story.
Tristan E. M. Leach holds a master’s degree in mass communication from Arizona State University. At ASU, she served as a graduate assistant for the National Center on Disability and Journalism. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in journalism from Rider University, where Tristan served as features and entertainment editor of the student-run newspaper, The Rider News. Tristan also wrote for the paper’s opinion section and served as a staff photographer for the sports section, covering men’s and women’s basketball and hockey.
Sydney Lovan is pursuing a master’s degree in mass communication from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. In May 2025, she graduated from ASU with a bachelor’s in journalism and a minor in sustainability. As part of a program at the Cronkite School, Sydney traveled to Rwanda to work as a photojournalist. With Cronkite News, the school’s multiplatform news organization, she served as a photographer at the 2024 Paris Olympics. She has also worked as a photographer at The State Press, ASU’s award-winning, student-run news outlet, and as a multimedia intern for BJ Media.
Marissa Lindemann is an undergraduate student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, majoring in broadcasting with a minor in fisheries and wildlife. Marissa’s passion for telling visual stories about the natural world has taken her from the Namib desert to the Mekong Delta. Currently, she’s an intern for the Platte Basin Timelapse project, a multimedia conservation storytelling group.
Lee Ann Anderson is a senior majoring in journalism with an outside concentration in African American studies at the University of Florida. She has worked as a reporter for Fresh Take Florida, covering politics and court cases across the state. She worked as a radio journalist and photographer for WUFT News, UF’s PBS affiliate network, and as a criminal justice and breaking news reporter for The Independent Florida Alligator. She also served as a photography intern for the Florida Gators.
Lorenzo Gomez is a master’s student at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. He holds bachelor’s degrees in political science and psychology and has experience working as a policy analyst in the nonprofit sector. His work includes helping to establish Flagstaff, Arizona’s first Indigenous cultural center. His work as a writer and photographer focuses on Indigenous communities, borderlands and culture. In 2025, he traveled to Panamá to report on global migration through the Cronkite Borderlands Project.
Mia Hilkowitz is a senior at Indiana University Bloomington, majoring in journalism and minoring in human-centered computing and law and public policy. She has worked as a managing and news editor for the Indiana Daily Student, where she covered city and state government and breaking news. She’s also an intern for the Arnolt Center for Investigative Journalism and previously interned for the Indiana Capital Chronicle.
Abigail Wilt is a fourth-year student at Arizona State University, majoring in journalism and mass communication with a minor in English literature. She has worked as a photographer and visuals editor for The State Press, ASU’s award-winning, student-run news outlet, and as a full-time reporter for State Press Magazine, where she currently serves as managing editor. She also works as a multimedia communications aide for ASU’s School of Music, Dance and Theatre. She is a long-form writer, visual journalist and illustrator.
David Scibilia is a senior at St. Bonaventure University, majoring in journalism and minoring in philosophy, law and politics. He is the managing editor of The Bona Venture, the school’s student-run newspaper. He also works as a staff writer for TAPinto Greater Olean and has interned with PolitiFact.