The largest protest movement in the United States since the civil rights era appears to be gaining momentum. On Saturday, March 28, millions of people rallied in cities across the US and in Europe for the third round of “No Kings” demonstrations targeting President Donald Trump, the war in Iran, and a sweeping immigration crackdown.
More than 3,000 events were scheduled across the country, with Minnesota emerging as a focal point following what The New York Times described as “a tumultuous immigration crackdown” in the state. Bruce Springsteen headlined an anti-Trump rally, declaring from the stage: “This reactionary nightmare will not stand.”
The scale of dissent is historically unprecedented. According to data from the Crowd Counting Consortium — a collaboration between Harvard’s Kennedy School and the University of Connecticut — there were more than 10,700 protests in the US in 2025 alone, a 133% increase from the 4,588 recorded during Trump’s first year in office in 2017. An overwhelming majority of US counties, including 42% that voted for Trump, have hosted at least one protest.
The demonstrations come against the backdrop of a Republican party already looking ahead. At this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), held in Texas, a straw poll of more than 1,600 attendees showed Vice President JD Vance as the clear frontrunner for the next Republican presidential nomination, capturing roughly 53% of the vote. Secretary of State Marco Rubio came in a distant second at 35%.
