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Thousands in NYC protest Trump administration as part of ‘No Kings’ demonstrations
By
David Brand
and
Ryan Kost
Published Mar 28, 2026
Modified Mar 28, 2026
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David Brand/Gothamist
By
David Brand
and
Ryan Kost
Published Mar 28, 2026
Modified Mar 28, 2026
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Thousands of protesters descended on Midtown Saturday, with crowds stretching as far as the eye can see along Broadway, for the third installment of the “No Kings” demonstrations, a nationwide day of protest against the Trump administration.
Though Midtown’s was the area’s largest event — with crowds massing around Seventh Avenue and Central Park South — dozens of rallies and marches were planned across the five boroughs, including in Brooklyn, Staten Island and Queens. Several rallies were planned for locations in New Jersey, on Long Island and in Connecticut as well.
Organizers said thousands of events were scheduled across all 50 states as part of an effort to draw the largest turnout yet. Previous No Kings rallies in June and October drew an estimated 5 million and 7 million people respectively nationwide, organizers told the Associated Press.
The protests began in response to perceptions that President Donald Trump was governing like a monarch accountable only to himself.
“Trump wants to rule over us as a tyrant,” the No Kings website reads. “But this is America, and power belongs to the people – not to wannabe kings of their billionaire cronies.”
This time around, organizers and attendees cited a long list of grievances, including Trump's immigration crackdown, the war in Iran and the administration's attacks on civil rights and liberties.
**“**People are getting killed. People are getting sent to concentration camps,” said Mao Valentin, a 22-year-old nursing student from New Jersey. “I am just here to protest that.”
Protesters in Manhattan on Saturday carried signs condemning immigration enforcement and the war in Iran, as well as more quotidian problems, like rising gas prices. Some came dressed in costume: a colonial-era revolutionary, a cardboard octopus decrying “power grabs” and a King Trump clown with orange and white face paint.
A protester at Saturday's No Kings demonstration in Midtown wearing a "King Trump" costume.
David Brand/Gothamist
Chris Murray, 69, attended in colonial-era costume.
David Brand/Gothamist
Chris Murray, a 69-year-old actor who came dressed in colonial-era costume, said “none of this is normal.”
“ I don't think this is going to stop it, but we have to show our displeasure with the way things are being just commandeered,” he said. “ I'd like to feel like my vote counts. It didn't count in the last election.”
“ He can't be trusted with the authority that he enjoys presently, and he has to be removed. That's job number one,” said Simon Turkel, who lives in Manhattan, referring to Trump. “We can talk about fine points of policy, but so long as this bizarre individual has power, we're all in danger.”
Others took a more subdued approach, but said they felt it was their democratic duty to demonstrate.
Army veteran Alan Ando, 75, said many attendees were motivated by their opposition to the ongoing war in Iran.
“I admire that people are being public about their voice,” said Ando, who lives in Manhattan and is studying law. “We are creating and we are expanding the movement. People are getting frustrated.”
This latest protest comes as ICE agents have been patrolling the New York City area’s airports amid a partial Department of Homeland Security shutdown, and just a little more than a week after the release of a Bronx high school student who’d been in ICE custody for nearly a year.
In New Jersey, Gov. Mikie Sherrill this week signed bills limiting how local law enforcement can cooperate with immigration enforcement. The Democratic governor is also joining Republican municipal leaders in trying to stop ICE from opening a detention center at a warehouse in Roxbury, New Jersey — though many of the Republicans there say they don’t oppose mass detention overall.
The NYPD reported that it made no protest-related arrests on Saturday.
Tagged
Politics
new york city
David Brand
David is a reporter covering housing for Gothamist and WNYC. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal 908-310-3960.
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Ryan Kost
Ryan Kost is a reporter on the day-of news desk, where he covers breaking news and writes enterprise stories about jails, courts, prosecutors and government accountability. His work focuses on the public institutions that shape life in New York. Before joining the newsroom, he lead a multi-part investigation with Columbia Journalism Investigations and New York Focus into how New York prosecutors handle wrongful conviction claims. He's also been a staff writer at The San Francisco Chronicle, The Associated Press and The Oregonian. Got a tip? Signal: ryankost.20
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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