Thousands of demonstrators railed against President Trump and his policies during several “No Kings Day” events in New York City on Saturday, slogging through a light but steady rain to decry his stance on everything from immigration to education.
Protesters gathered amid the drizzle in Bryant Park in Midtown to kick off a massive protest march through Manhattan. Demonstrators unfurled banners that read, “No Crown for a Clown” and “Trumpster Fire,” as they screamed,, “Hey, hey! Ho, ho! Donald Trump has got to go!”
Peaceful marchers were watched by an army of cops in helmets and riot gear. On Friday, Mayor Adams and Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch vowed that anyone who broke the law during the protest would be arrested.
“For those intent to commit crimes, incite violence, cause property damage and attack our cops, you will be met with the full strength and determination of the greatest police department in the world,” Tisch said at a news conference Friday.
The protests, which occurred across the country Saturday, were billed as a nationwide “day of defiance” against Trump and his hard-line immigration policies. It coincided with Trump’s birthday and military parade in Washington.
Organizers of the “No Kings Day” events estimated Friday that 75,000 protesters would join Saturday’s protest in the city. But the weather brought the numbers down to around 50,000 demonstrators at its peak, around 2 p.m., according to NYPD estimates.
Later in the afternoon, NYPD officials said police had taken eight people into custody, mostly for disorderly conduct.
After stepping off from Bryant Park at 2:30 p.m., protesters marched down Fifth Ave. to Madison Square Park. Many demonstrators splintered off from the main group, with some heading all the way down to Zuccotti Park in lower Manhattan, where the famed Occupy Wall Street protests were held back in 2011.
Before the march, rallies at Bryant Park saw the likes of mayoral hopefuls Brad Lander and Zohran Mamdani, along with comedian Ilana Glazer and “Sex and the City” star Cynthia Nixon.
Marchers standing shoulder to shoulder came prepared for foul weather with rain slickers and umbrellas, some with the slogans “Defend Students” and “Fund Science” spelled out on the umbrellas in tape.
People gather at the “No Kings” nationwide demonstration on Saturday, June 14, 2025 in Houston. (Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle via AP)
People take part in a “No Kings” protest in New York on June 14, 2025 as US President Donald Trump presides over a military parade in Washington, DC. (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images)
Police look on as people take part in a “No Kings” protest in New York on June 14, 2025 as US President Donald Trump presides over a military parade in Washington, DC. (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images)
Demonstrators gather outside the New York Public Library during the “No Kings” protest, Saturday, June 14, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)
Demonstrators gather around Bryant Park during the “No Kings” protest, Saturday, June 14, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)
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People gather at the “No Kings” nationwide demonstration on Saturday, June 14, 2025 in Houston. (Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle via AP)
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One protester hoped it was raining in D.C. on Trump’s military procession, which marked the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army.
“I literally want it to rain on Trump’s parade, too,” the protester said.
“Trump was deferred three times for shin splints — he does not get a military parade,” declared Kathleen Rogers, 59, who came in from New Jersey to attend the protest. “No kings. He’s out of control. Nobody’s stopping him. Everybody’s bending the knee,” she said. “They’re all chickening out. It’s disgusting.”
“I came here because I don’t want to be under a dictatorship,” said East Village resident Jorge Collazo, 75, who was born in Cuba and is now a U.S. citizen. “I don’t want to live in a land where I can’t speak my mind. I don’t want to live in a land where citizens get deported, arrested, brutalized, people are taken from their homes, families are broken up.
“You know, tomorrow’s Father’s Day,” Collazo added. “I’m a father. I see videos of little kids screaming because their fathers are being taken away by masked men in unmarked cars, and it’s just horrific.”
“I think it’s amazing. For this many people to come out in the rain? Oh, my God, I am so impressed,” said Glen Ridge, N.J., resident Stephen Kinney, 66. “It’s cruel. I understand there’s an immigration problem, but this is not the way to fix it,” said Kinney, who attended a smaller protest in New Jersey earlier in the day. “I mean, there’s nothing good he’s doing. It’s just mind-boggling, and I feel so helpless. So it’s, like, I gotta do what I can do.”
“I came because I have the right to come out here, and we have democracy, hopefully, still,” said Tamara Peterson, 54, who brought her 8-year-old Pomeranian, Levi, in a stroller with a “Hands Off Our Democracy” sign on it.
“This is an amazing country. People dream about coming here, and it should stay like that,” said Peterson, who lives in downtown Brooklyn. “What he’s doing is just horrible, heartbreaking. ICE, just everything. The brutality. The way he speaks to people. He’s a bully, he’s a liar, he’s not setting a good example for this country. It’s just everything that he’s doing. It’s just nonstop. Taking people off the street to meet quotas.”
Anne, 75, a retired nurse born and raised in Brooklyn, marched using her walker a bit to the side of the massive column of protesters. “I think it’s our responsibility to be out to fight for democracy and show that the people are not with these oligarchs and autocrats in D.C. that are actually avoiding the laws,” she said. “They just think they can do anything they want.”
“I think it’s important to show there is a strong resistance to what the federal government is doing today in these days. We are becoming so authoritarian, semifascist, probably full fascist as of this week in L.A.,” said Steve Mueller, 58. “I think protests like this, peaceful, but powerful, are the people showing we want to restore America for the people, not for the oligarchs, not for the billionaires, not for Donald Trump. Donald Trump is not a king.”
A group of around 150 from Columbia University came down to join the Bryant Park march. “Columbians Against Kings, Defend Students, Science and Speeches,” one of their banners read.
“One of the reasons not so many student organizations have been part of the organizing might be because they’re afraid,” said a Columbia history professor who did not want to give her name. “The university is not really speaking out to say anything to help them, so I think that’s also why a lot of faculty are here. I want to stand up for my students in some way.”
Other “No Kings” events took place in Forest Hills, Queens, as well as on Victory Blvd. on Staten Island and by Grand Army Plaza in Park Slope, Brooklyn.
The NYPD has policed protests against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement tactics at Foley Square in lower Manhattan for a week. Thousands have attended those protests, during which roughly 100 people were arrested for blocking streets, resisting arrest and assaulting police officers.
While they are in constant contact with federal authorities monitoring protests across the country, Tisch and Adams made it clear to the government that they won’t need the National Guard or a military presence to help police the protests, as Trump ordered in Los Angeles last weekend.
Originally Published: June 14, 2025 at 5:14 PM EDT
