As the third wave of “No Kings” protests attracted millions to over 3,000 demonstrations across the United States, more than 1,500 people gathered near the campus of Winston-Salem State University midday Saturday to protest Donald Trump’s second presidency.
Starting around 11:30 a.m., groups of attendees waving flags and signs clustered on street corners around S. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. and over the U.S. 421 overpass. Organizers with bullhorns led the crowds in chants, including “this is what democracy looks like,” “we will fight back” and “no Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA.” The protestors cheered as hundreds of drivers passing by honked to show their support.
Nikki Cross of Winston-Salem danced to the chants. She said she has attended each of the three “No Kings” protests to date.
“I feel energy,” Cross said when asked if she noticed anything different about Saturday’s demonstration. “I feel that people want to save our country.”
“No Kings” predicts record turnout across the country and world
The broad coalition of progressive activist groups behind “No Kings” said they predicted Saturday to be the “biggest protest in U.S. history.” They reported eight million in attendance, a greater turnout than previous demonstrations in June and October 2025 that respectively drew five and seven million.
Minneapolis hosted Saturday’s “flagship” protest. The city that captured public attention earlier this year during the immigration crackdown that left two U.S. citizens dead welcomed singer Joan Baez, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), singer Bruce Springsteen and actress Jane Fonda to address at least 100,000.
While other large cities also saw sizable crowds, protestors in suburban and rural areas comprised about two-thirds of RSVPs, organizers said. Americans living overseas also gathered at dozens of protests across Latin America, Europe and Australia.
Protestors express varying motivations
“No Kings” lists no specific policy demands, which organizers say is an intentional choice to attract the largest possible swath of American society by harnessing widespread dissatisfaction with President Trump.
Protestors in Winston-Salem expressed a variety of reasons for their presence at the Saturday demonstration. Mel Fehrenbacher, a retired Navy lieutenant junior grade from Evansville, Ind., said he is upset by the growing federal debt, which he attributed to fiscal irresponsibility and corruption in the Trump administration.
“It’ll get fixed in November,” Fehrenbacher said. “We’ll definitely take back the House and hopefully the Senate, and then [Trump] will be the ultimate lame duck. But hopefully, he’ll be in jail by then.”
Ken Grant of Clemmons, N.C. said he was protesting to “preserve democracy.” He said his late wife, Brenda, would have been by his side.
“I’d say it’s time you open your eyes,” Grant said when he asked what he’d say to those who didn’t attend the protest. “Stop believing in those lies.”
Speakers celebrate turnout and reflect on scripture
Many attendees gathered around a stage erected in the Winston-Salem Union Station parking lot to listen to speakers and musicians.
Jenny Easter, president of the Forsyth County Association of Educators, said she was “so excited” to see greater turnout in Winston-Salem compared to the October 2025 “No Kings.”
“It shows that we are moving and growing each time, bringing new people into this,” Easter said. “We’re here today because we believe in something simple but powerful: that in this country, in this state and in Winston-Salem, there are no kings.”
“Nobody gets to rule over us without accountability,” Easter continued. “Not any politician, not our legislature, not anybody.”
Many speakers incorporated a Christian message into their remarks. The Rev. Daryl Napper, who recently ran in the Democratic primary for District 1 of the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School’s Board of Education, reflected on the Bible verse Micah 6:8, which calls for people to “act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with God.” A choir performed the gospel song “This Little Light of Mine.”
One man carrying a Bible and speaking into a headset microphone shouted that the protestors weren’t “true Christians.” Organizers wearing yellow fluorescent vests escorted the man out of the crowd at least two times.
The protesters’ mood remained positive. Suzanne Schramm of Winston-Salem said Saturday was her first time attending a “No Kings” demonstration, and that the event gave her hope.
“I woke up today feeling good, you know?” Schramm said. “There was something I felt I could do.”
A crew driving a dump truck towards U.S. 421 honked and waved at the crowds, who cheered.
“Dump Trump,” the protestors chanted.
