On October 18, 2025, over 7 million Americans gathered across 2,500 events in the second “No Kings” protest. This protest was aimed at fighting against the Trump administration, specifically the actions and policies the administration has taken during Trump’s second term. The October 18th protests were the second ones, with the first taking place on June 14, 2025, Donald Trump’s 79th birthday. The protests work to fight against Trump’s policies around immigration, as well as comments he’s made referring to himself as a king.
One instance in particular, which took place in February 2025, was met with outrage after Donald Trump made a statement saying, “Long Live the King” in reference to himself. This statement came after Trump’s attempts to get rid of congestion pricing in NYC. Trump made his opposition to New York’s congestion pricing plan clear and ordered the MTA to halt the program. This has led to the MTA fighting Trump’s order in federal court and in the meantime, a judge has stopped the Trump administration from halting the program.
Trump’s use of ICE immigration agents has also been seen as undemocratic and unconstitutional. There have been many instances of ICE agents detaining US citizens with no proof of their being undocumented. An example of this is Leo Garcia Venegas, a construction worker and US citizen working and living in Alabama who was unlawfully detained by ICE two different times and is now suing immigration authorities because of repeated raids on workplaces without warrants or reasonable suspicions. Cases like this, as well as the treatment of undocumented immigrants in detention facilities like “Alligator Alcatraz”, have led to major criticisms of Donald Trump and his administration.
A BSGE junior, Vivian DeFalco, commented on what’s been happening and shared that although she didn’t attend any “No Kings” Protests, she agrees with what’s being protested because “our current president is abusing his power and I feel we’re losing the idea of democracy”. When asked if she thinks Trump is acting as a king, Vivian says, “Yes… This is just like the Marie Antoinette “let them eat cake” while we’re starving”.
Another BSGE student, who has chosen to stay anonymous said, “I definitely agree with what was being protested because a lot of the new policies that Trump is proposing are completely unconstitutional and unethical, and they undermine the will of the people,” when asked about whether or not they agree with what was being protested. However, they also said, “I don’t think they are very impactful because there weren’t really any specific demands being made.” The student elaborated on this point by saying that they didn’t believe the protestors were specific enough with their demands and that because of this, the protests most likely will not impact the administration’s policies.
The “No Kings” Protests are a great show of what can occur when Americans come together to fight for a cause. Whether or not one agrees with what’s being protested, it’s important for Americans to exercise their rights and understand how the policies that are being passed impact them. When patterns of governing are seen as concerning by the American people, it’s good to know that they can try to enact the change they want to see.
