What to know about the national ‘No Kings’ rallies scheduled to protest Trump

Activists and advocacy groups are organizing a second round of “No Kings” protests across the country on Saturday in response to what they call abuse of power by President Donald Trump and his administration, including his immigration crackdown.

Organizers predict millions will participate.

Republicans are trying to call the protests “hate America” ​​and say they are prolonging the federal government shutdown.

This is what you should know.

What are the “No Kings” protests?

The day-long “No Kings” protests scheduled for October 18 follow up on the thousands of held in mid-June. They are led by a coalition of organizations that includes the American Civil Liberties Union, Indivisible, 50501. and others. Organizers say there are more than 2,600 events. nationally planned — including major cities like New York; Washington, DC; Chicago and Los Angeles, and they say millions are expected to attend.

They have been “organized by regular people, by volunteers,” Deirdre Schifeling, political and advocacy director for the ACLU, told ABC News.

While organizers have not released details about fundraising ahead of the protests, and the coalition has remained relatively decentralized, some groups have indicated they have spent heavily to promote the demonstrations or have planned to rely on stars to drum up enthusiasm around them.

For example, the political group Home of the Brave said Monday it would spend $1 million to publicize the anti-Kings protests, including in local and national newspapers.

Celebrities including Jane Fonda, Kerry Washington, John Legend, Alan Cumming and John Leguizamo are scheduled to attend, according to a fundraising email sent Thursday by the political action committee Progressive Change Campaign Committee.

“We will be in the streets for the immigrant families who are being attacked and for the voters who are being silenced. For the communities who are being terrorized by militarized police. For the families who are about to lose their health insurance. And for every person whose rights are threatened by the cruelty of this administration,” the group wrote in the email.

Ahead of Saturday’s demonstrations, law enforcement is actively monitoring social media and the internet, as well as working with local organizers and potential counterprotesters, to get a sense of what could be expected. That surveillance comes as there continues to be heightened concern about large-scale public gatherings, especially political events.

What do Republicans say about the protests?

Republicans have been criticizing the protests, claiming they are one of the reasons the Democratic Party does not want to end the current federal government shutdown.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Wednesday that Democrats are waiting to resolve funding issues until after Saturday’s “No Kings” protests.

“The truth is, what Democrats really want is something that Republicans can’t give them. And that’s approval from their far-left base,” Thune said.

Republican leaders have also framed the “No Kings” protests as a series of “Hate America” ​​demonstrations, framing the upcoming events as aimed at criticizing the United States and what it represents.

“And I encourage you to look at, we’re calling it the ‘Hate America Rally’ that’s going to take place on Saturday,” House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters Wednesday. “Let’s see who shows up for that. I bet you see Hamas supporters. I bet you see Antifa guys. I bet you see the Marxists on full display, the people who don’t want to stand up and defend the fundamental truths of this republic.”

Johnson provided no evidence to support his claims that “Hamas supporters” and “Antifa guys” will appear. Organizers have said they cannot control who shows up to protests from outside groups and have emphasized a desire to keep protests respectful and nonviolent.

In a taped interview with Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo on Thursday, Trump was asked about the protests and he rejected that he was a “king.”

“They refer to me as a king. I am not a king” Triumph saying.

Some state leaders have also said they are calling for more law enforcement in light of the protests, which supporters say may be aimed at “suppressing” them.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, wrote in X on Thursdaywho “ordered the Department of Public Safety and the National Guard to send forces to Austin” ahead of the demonstrations.

“Texas will NOT tolerate chaos. Anyone who destroys property or commits violence will be promptly arrested,” Abbott wrote.

State Rep. Gene Wu, who chairs the state House Democratic caucus, wrote in response“Sending armed soldiers to quell peaceful protests is what kings and dictators do, and Greg Abbott just proved he’s one of them.”

How are protest organizers responding to Republican claims?

Organizers have responded that Republicans in power are responsible for the current shutdown, and have said Johnson and some other Republicans not saying the name of the protest is revealing.

“I think it’s really telling that you spent an entire week calling this a ‘demonstration of American hate,’ attacking this coalition and Americans across the country, and not even saying the name of the protest,” Leah Greenberg, co-executive director of Indivisible, one of the main groups in the “No Kings” coalition, told reporters at a news conference on Thursday.

“That’s because if you say the name of the protest, ‘There are no kings,’ the whole argument falls apart…there’s nothing more American than saying we have no kings and exercising our right to peaceful protest,” Greenberg said.

When asked if they thought the Republicans’ claims would affect participants’ turnout on Saturday, organizers said they believe they could have the opposite effect.

“I think if anything it will increase participation,” Schifeling said. “I think Americans can really see through these sad attempts to distract from the failure of these Republican congressmen and the Republican Trump administration to actually address what the majority of Americans want and need from their government.”

Ezra Levin, co-CEO of Indivisible, told ABC News that he welcomes the publicity, but at the same time believes Republicans are trying to prevent Americans from exercising their First Amendment right.

“I think Republicans and Trump see that the largest peaceful protest in modern American history will gather on Saturday to counter the authoritarian overreach of this regime and its supporters in Congress, and they are looking for ways to send messages against it in advance,” he said.

ABC News’ Josh Margolin contributed to this report.