Overview

• More than five million people joined over 2,000 “No Kings” demonstrations in all 50 states on June 14 to protest what organizers described as President Trump’s authoritarian agenda.
• President Trump’s $45 million military parade marking the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary and his 79th birthday struggled to fill bleachers and drew criticism for its underwhelming turnout.
• The White House maintained that roughly 250,000 spectators attended the event, even as photos of empty seats and lighthearted soldiers circulated online.
• Biographer Michael Wolff reported that Trump confronted Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over troops’ convivial demeanor, accusing him of failing to project a menacing image.
• Grassroots groups including Indivisible, the American Civil Liberties Union and other 501(c)(4) organizations coordinated the mostly peaceful protests as a celebration of democratic freedoms.