Thousands rally in Louisville, Kentucky, as part of the "No Kings" protest on June 15, 2025.

Ahead of the nationwide “No Kings” protests against President Donald Trump’s administration, several civil rights and protest groups say they’re both eager to demonstrate widespread opposition to Trump’s agenda and concerned about potential retaliation.

Organizers predict the Oct. 18 rallies could become the “largest peaceful protest in modern American history,” according to Indivisible co-Executive Director Leah Greenberg.

Indivisible is among the groups supporting more than 2,500 rallies around the country. Others include the American Civil Liberties Union, the Freedom From Religion Foundation, the Human Rights Campaign and Planned Parenthood.

"This is the American people standing up and saying no, we're going to live in a democracy," said Deirdre Schifeling, the ACLU’s chief political and advocacy officer. "We don't have a king, we don't want a king, and we'll use our First Amendment rights to free speech to protest."

Reasons cited for protesting now

More than 5 million people participated in “No Kings” rallies in June, according to the ACLU.

But there have been numerous developments with free speech and executive action since then.

Organizers referenced Trump’s efforts to deploy National Guard troops in a handful of Democratic-led cities.

There was also Charlie Kirk’s assassination, which prompted a national debate over the limits of free speech after scores of professionals were fired or otherwise punished for social media posts about Kirk.

Hundreds of organizations signed an open letter criticizing what they described as the administration’s retaliation against them following Kirk’s death, saying the “vast powers of government should not be abused to threaten their constitutionally-protected free speech and other rights.”

Only 7% of respondents in a nationwide ACLU survey conducted in late September said they felt that free speech is “completely secure” in the United States.

GOP pushes back in advance

Republican leaders are pushing back.

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller condemned what he called a “large and growing movement of leftwing terrorism in this country” in an Oct. 4 X post.

“The only remedy is to use legitimate state power to dismantle terrorism and terror networks,” he wrote.

Members of Trump's administration, as well as Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, have also blamed “No Kings” for the ongoing government shutdown.

White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told USA TODAY the administration is “focused on stopping the scourge of left-wing violence plaguing American communities.”

“Left-wing protestors can beclown themselves by lawfully protesting the alternate reality they live in, but violence or breaking the law will not be tolerated,” Jackson said.

Organizers have concerns, excitement ahead of protests

The organizers have been adamant that the rallies remain peaceful. The ACLU has trained “thousands and thousands” of people on de-escalation tactics and vetted the thousands of event hosts.

Still, some are anxious heading into the protests.

There’s been a “whole mix of emotions” among protest organizers and participants in the days leading up to “No Kings,” said Hunter Dunn, a spokesperson for 50501 SoCal, one of the organizers.

There’s hope and fear, excitement and nerves. But there’s also “a lot of joy,” he added, pointing to a recent trend of protesters wearing inflatable animal costumes.

Public Citizen co-President Robert Weissman said involved organizations “have to be, unfortunately, mindful of threats of investigation and persecution for our views, not for our actions.”

He added, though, that “we have no intention of being intimidated.”

Security at the protests is a “top concern,” the ACLU's Schifeling said.

“Not because we think these protests are going to be dangerous,” she said. “Quite to the contrary – we think they’re going to be peaceful, they’re going to be beautiful.”

At the same time, there may be “tense” moments – particularly in cities with a National Guard and federal law enforcement presence, Mississippi College School of Law Professor Franklin Rosenblatt said.

But if all sides understand and abide by their rights – and the limits of those rights – then protesters are simply doing the “ultimate patriotic duty of sharing their views and agitating for needed change,” he said.

NAACP spokesperson Dominik Whitehead said his organization’s 116-year history and experience makes them “prepared for this moment.”

“The concern does not stop us from the fight,” Whitehead said. “We are going to rise to the occasion.”

'Courage is contagious'

Among organizers' goals of “No Kings” are to demonstrate mass opposition, challenging Trump’s claim of having a “mandate” from Americans for his actions, and building community among dissenters.

A big part of that is media coverage, they said.

Seeing millions of people protesting “can reveal a lot to people who aren’t plugged in,” Dunn said.

It's also “very displeasing” to the administration, Rosenblatt said.

The rallies also offer opportunities for participants to connect with local organizations to continue taking action after Oct. 18, organizers said. Further, they said mass actions make people feel safer and more confident in dissenting from the administration, despite any concerns about how the administration will respond to the movement.

“My experience has been that courage is contagious,” Schifeling said.

BrieAnna Frank is a First Amendment reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her at bjfrank@usatoday.com.

USA TODAY's coverage of First Amendment issues is funded through a collaboration between the Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners. Funders do not provide editorial input.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'No Kings' organizers concerned about protests. But 'courage is contagious.'

Reporting by BrieAnna J. Frank, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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