What’s next for the No Kings movement?

What’s next for the No Kings movement?

by Rob Okun

857 words

It was the largest protest in US history. More than 3300 rallies in all 50 states and more on every continent across the globe. It’s an understatement to say No Kings III was an overwhelming success.

It wove a rich tapestry of defiance, featured colorful, handmade signs, encouraged friends and family to rally together, and was supercharged by first-time participants. A strategy of “Each One Reach One” contributed to the astonishing turnout. Last June, five million people came to No Kings I. Seven million were at No King II in October. On March 28 there were between eight and nine million! Remarkably, among first-time attendees were those who had voted for Donald Trump more than once. There’s a synergy at play: as his poll numbers plummet, the No Kings movement rises.

Sure, everyone, it’s fine to absorb what happened, but then, No Kings organizers say, “let’s get back to it.”  If we’ve learned nothing else these past 18 months, it’s that democracy is not a spectator sport and citizens can’t afford to stay on the sidelines. The people of Minneapolis showed the nation how to respond. 

“This is a people powered movement,” declared Leah Greenberg, co-executive director of Indivisible, a lead organizer of No Kings. It’s a blend of “mass defiance and local power.” To succeed, the movement must be multiracial, multigenerational, and multiethnic, grounded in feminist principles. And, to achieve its goals, women must be leading it.

There is a temptation after an event of this magnitude to replay the powerful images, to bask in the achievements. However, with the Palestinian people still under siege, the climate emergency worsening, the nation embroiled in a mad man’s war, immigrants continually abducted by ICE, and authoritarianism deepening, it’s easy to feel despairing. (I recognize I’ve left out so many other crises.) 

Sustaining momentum doesn’t just happen. It must be built. Same with solidarity. A single day of protest—as important as No Kings was—cannot alone carry a movement. What comes next does. And that’s where May Day Strong comes in. May 1st, International Workers Day: a call for no work, no school, no shopping. 

A coalition of labor, immigrant rights, youth, and democracy organizations—including Service Employees International Union (SEIU), National Domestic Workers Alliance, Sunrise Movement, United We Dream, and the Working Families Party—are organizing actions nationwide. All told, a coalition of 200 groups.

The numbers will be smaller than No Kings. It is successfully organizing to take the next step. The menu includes work stoppages, school walkouts, and a broader pause in economic activity to demonstrate that our collective political and economic muscle extends beyond a one-day protest.

In On Tyranny, historian Timothy Snyder reminds us, “Do not obey in advance”, warning against quiet accommodation. He also calls for taking collective action. That’s May Day, 2026. Similarly, Heather Cox Richardson, another historian, has written that democracy depends not on institutions alone, but on the willingness of ordinary people to defend them. Ditto. And, economist-activist Robert Reich is even more direct: “The most important office in a democracy is not president… it’s citizen.” 

These are not abstractions. They point to a simple truth: participation is the safeguard. In times like these, let’s remember: action is the antidote to despair. Or, put another way, the antidote to anxiety is action. 

And anxiety is everywhere—about the senseless war, affordability, healthcare, voting rights, and a despotic political climate hostile to truth. March 28 gave people a place to express their feelings. May Day—and what follows—is a way to stay engaged.

Few challenging the authoritarian actions of the Trump administration believe periodic one-off mobilizations—as important as they are—are the only arrow in the resistance movement’s quiver. It takes a multipronged approach: electoral work—the midterms are critically important. So are public actions, community organizing, and the patient work of building relationships across differences. No Kings is fortunate to have seasoned activists who understand all this.

Another take-away from March 28 is staying positive. Joy. Humor. Creativity. There was a celebratory air to the rallies: “We may not have achieved all our goals, but we’re in it together.” It’s about more than opposition; it’s also community building—affirming a collective commitment to a more just, inclusive society. 

The philosophy of “hopeful realism,” at the center of Robert Hubbell’s Today’s Edition newsletter, reminds us that progress is built through steady, collective effort—even when results are not immediately visible, keep going.

The No Kings protests were never intended as an end-all-be-all, but they are a dramatic next step for a movement growing stronger after an injection of Vitamin M—momentum. 

On May Day, the country will see the movement flex its collective economic muscle. Organizers are looking to the weeks and months ahead to demonstrate that No Kings has found its rhythm, not through a sprint to the next grand, nationwide protest, but by pacing itself for the marathon. It’s about keeping its eye on the prize—not just to reclaim democracy, but to make sure it can never again be threatened by a wannabe strongman.

If the antidote to anxiety is action, what are we waiting for?

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Rob Okun (robokun50@gmail.com), syndicated by PeaceVoice, is editor emeritus of Voice Male, which has long chronicled the profeminist men’s movement.