As an estimated 200,000 people are expected to attend Saturday night’s parade in honor of the Army’s 250th birthday, anti-Trump protests are also being planned around the Washington, D.C., metro area and nationwide.
Over 1500 “No Kings” demonstrations are being scheduled to fight against “corruption” and “kings.” Organizers, which include the ACLU, the American Federation of Teachers, Public Citizen, and Indivisible, believe the anti-ICE riots in Los Angeles will fuel more people to participate. They are also upset that the parade is happening on President Donald Trump‘s birthday.
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Locally, protests will largely take place in the suburbs of Virginia.
In Arlington, activists are expected to gather along Langston Blvd. and the I-66 overpasses. The group plans to organize a “human chain” on sidewalks to reject “authoritarianism and the militarization of our democracy.”
All local protests are planned to start before the military parade to ensure the Trump administration knows that they “respect the Constitution and our democracy,” according to protest organizer Julie Hanson Swanson.
Meanwhile, in the district, “D.C. Joy Day” will be held in Anacostia Park. The event isn’t the traditional type of protest. Instead, there will be more of a block party vibe with music, a barbecue, and a grocery distribution.
“Instead of allowing this birthday parade to be the center of gravity, we will take action everywhere else the story of America that day: people coming together in communities across the country to reject strongman politics and corruption,” organizers wrote.
A larger, “flagship march” is scheduled in Philadelphia to “draw a clear contrast between our people-powered movement and the costly, wasteful, and un-American birthday parade in Washington.”
Some Conservatives are urging caution for those taking part in Saturday’s events. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) tweeted about the protests, stating that some are “being backed by a communist group tied to the CPP,” and are using “ICE protests as a ruse.”
“MAGA: DO NOT SHOW UP IN GEAR. IF YOU DO ATTEND AND WITNESS ILLEGAL ACTIVITY, RECORD FACES AND LICENSE PLATES. We will ask you to submit footage and information to the FBI,” Luna wrote. “THIS IS ORCHESTRATED.”
Patrick Bet-David, an American businessman and podcaster, told Fox News’s Jessie Watters Primetime that these protests are a setup by Democrats to find a moment to frame Trump as a dictator.
“They’re trying to provoke Trump, where someone dies, someone gets hurt, someone gets injured —and they can be the Floyd of 2025,” Bet-David said.
The White House is also aware of the planned demonstrations. Trump told reporters on Tuesday that disruptors would be met with “very heavy force.”
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“No Kings” has protests planned in Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Nashville, Philadelphia, Phoenix, New York City, San Francisco, and Seattle.