Last Saturday, October 18, 2025 was the second No Kings protest here in the US which drew millions of citizens from across the country, and others in countries around the globe. The goal was to protest Donald Trump’s cruel, draconian, authoritarian, antidemocratic policies, and send a loud and clear message that he is absolutely not a king, and never will be.
The first No Kings protest was held on June 14th, 2025 in response to Trump’s military parade in Washington DC that coincided with his birthday. It was obvious to all that Trump wants to be considered a king; something that the founders of our country strongly rejected; thus the response from many grassroots organizations.
The June No Kings protest drew over 5 million US citizens in 2,100 cities and towns across our country, and the second one, this past weekend, drew even more, 7 million people! We will continue to resist!
TheTravelsketcher and I, along with our dear friend Lisa, were proud to participate in the protest. It was an entirely peaceful and uplifting event. We chatted with so many wonderful people, all equally concerned about the future of our democracy, and so much more, as is shown in the signs below.
I received permission from this young woman and her parents to share this photo. I couldn’t agree more. I love how she used the colors of the French flag 🇫🇷 on her sign.
I chatted with the woman whose 7x great-grandfather signed the Declaration of Independence; she had tears in her eyes and was quite emotional as she shared her family history. What an amazing legacy! She felt her ancestor would be rolling over in his grave. No doubt, considering all our country’s founders sacrificed for our independence.
You may have heard about protestors in Portland and across the country, wearing inflatable costumes. This is known as Operation Inflation and originated here in Portland. Their goal is to wear ridiculously silly costumes to deflate the tension between ICE agents and protestors. We saw many costumed protestors at the rally.
You may remember that Trump wants to send federal troops to Portland, our beautiful city, to “protect the ICE agents from protestors”. This is absolutely ridiculous, as the protestors are completely peaceful. TheTravelsketcher and I stopped by the ICE facility a while back to talk to the protesters and get the facts. The one time violence erupted was the result of federal agents agitating the crowds. A Police Bureau assistant chief confirmed this in court; here’s the link.
These are unprecedented times for the USA. It’s frightening, stressful and a horrifying time for those of us who care about our democracy. We will continue to resist every step of the way and hope and pray that our country will survive this horrible chapter.
Check out theTravelsketcher’s recent post which touches on the No Kings protest.
When tyranny becomes law, rebellion becomes duty. C. S. Lewis
RESIST!
Tricia
Travels Through My Lens 
Thank you for the collection of signage from the last ‘No Kings’ march in Portland. The message is quiet but strong and clear. Wish we could add our numbers as we do our hearts and minds. With your permission shall repost to likeminded friends.
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Yes, our message is quite clear! Thank you, and feel free to share.
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Are you organising as well as protesting? The enemies of democracy are well organised and have a clear plan. Friends of democracy will need one just as good.
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No, just protesting. Good point; frightening too.
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Even from this distance it looks very alarming.
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You totally have our support. I wish we could do something concrete to help, Tricia, but as you know we are mired in a different Trump morass and have to put our energy against that vicious moron there. Good luck to you and all Americans who are taking a stand against fascism, authoritarianism and despotism. 🍀
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Thanks so much, Lynette. Yes, you have a battle to fight too. Let’s hope we are victorious.
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Right on, Tricia! Let’s keep at it until something gives. Stay safe!
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Thanks, Rebecca. You too!
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We support you up here, but, as you know, we’re in our own ridiculous yet scary battle against him right now. Maggie
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Thanks so much, Maggie. We’ll continue to resist together.
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The costumes were a great idea – really deflates any thought of the demonstrations as being in anyway ‘violent’. It is scary to watch what is going on – and what about the vandalism to the White House?
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Yes, I think they’re really helpful in diffusing the situation. It is a very scary chapter in our country’s history, one that we all hope will end soon. The “remodel” of the east wing is just insane. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
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Great post, Tricia. I love the signs – so many creative ways to express the same basic sentiment.
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Thank you. The signs were all so creative.
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Great for a foreigner like me to see that there are lots of well thinking Americans who stand up against the unlawful misuse of power by Trump&Co. Keep going! 👍✋
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We will continue to resist! Thanks for commenting.
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Greetings from a fellow No Kings-er! I was referred to your post by the Travel Architect, having just posted one of my own in Denver. We did actually have quite a few blow-up animals in solidarity with Portland!
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Wonderful! We must continue to resist. I’ll take a look at your post. Thanks for stopping by!
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I enjoyed your blog too and left a message.
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Incredible scenes, Tricia. How can you continue to run a country with opposition like this? xx
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Good question, Jo! Hopefully, he will continue to fail and we will survive.
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One of your thoughtful followers left the comment “How can you run a country with opposition like this?” Yes, great question, but the sad answer is that you have to listen and you have to care, and neither of those things appear to be the case at the ‘top.’ Also, sadly, while the opposition is HUGE–there is a large group of people in America who are either clueless or think this is all just great, and that is very disheartening. There is a conscious lack of acknowledgment (or even understanding) in this administration of the phrase “servant of the people.”
All that said, your clever capturing of all the signs and costumes and number of people who DO care not only made me smile, but made me feel hopeful. That you for that. Yes–RESIST–and thank you, Tricia, for being part of that.
There is always hope!
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Thanks so much, Shirley, for your thoughtful comments. Agreed; there are so many here who just don’t understand the extent of the damage being done. You’re right, there still is a glimmer of hope.
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Before I started reading your post, I thought it was a strange headline because (as far as I know) there are no kings in the USA. But now it seems possible to declare yourself king (or at least it seems that’s what Trump thinks 🙈. I enjoyed the banners, oh, and the inflatable costumes too.
In 1994 we voted for democracy in South Africa … but unfortunately it never happened (although our current government insists that it did). Sometimes the picture of your own country presented to foreigners is not always the truth … so, I take the news reports we receive from the USA with a pinch of salt. Thank you for giving us the correct facts.
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Thanks so much, Corna. It’s unfortunate that the people’s wishes in South Africa didn’t happen. That’s a good point about news reports and their convoluted messages. We must stay informed and seek the truth. Thanks again, I appreciate your input.
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We’ve heard about the No Kings protests on the news and are completely supportive. It’s neat to hear that they are peaceful and actually uplifting. Love the clever and witty signs people have come up with. We are in such strange times.
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We are indeed living through some awful times here in the US, and unfortunately for Canadians too, since you’re on the receiving end of Trump’s wrath as well. We’ll continue to resist every step of the way and hope for the best. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
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Thanks so much for this fascinating insight into what one of these events looks like Tricia. And good on you for participating and standing up for what is right. I’m glad that it went off peacefully and that there was no heavy-handedness from the police. I did have a giggle at the “even the introverts came” sign. The “no pawns” sign deservedly gives what for to some really sickening individuals. It will be interesting to see how Trump approaches this situation about a third term when the time comes. Scary times.
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Thank you, Leighton. These are indeed scary times. We will continue to resist every step of the way. There were some very creative signs for sure. Thanks for commenting!
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