The Japan Times - Millions angry with Trump expected to fill American streets

It is the third time in less than a year that Americans will take to the streets as part of a grassroots movement called "No Kings," the most vocal and visual conduit for opposition to Trump since he began his second term in January 2025.

And now they have something new to fume over -- the war in Iran that Trump launched alongside Israel, with ever-shifting goals and timelines for completion.

The first such nationwide protest day came in June on Trump's 79th birthday and coincided with a military parade in Washington that he insisted on holding.

Several million people turned out, from New York to San Francisco and many places in between.

The second "No Kings" day in October drew an estimated seven million protesters, according to organizers.

The goal now is to bring out even more people on Saturday, as Trump's approval rating is low at around 40 percent and midterm elections loom in November, when Trump's Republicans could lose control of both chambers.

Just as Trump is worshipped by many in his "Make America Great Again" movement, on the other side of America's wide political chasm he is disliked or even loathed with equal passion.

Trump foes bemoan his penchant for ruling by executive decree, his use of the Justice Department to prosecute opponents, his embrace of fossil fuels and climate change denial even as the planet warms, his fight against racial and gender diversity programs, and his newfound taste for flexing US military power after campaigning as a man of peace.

"Since the last time we marched, this administration has dragged us deeper into war," said Naveed Shah of Common Defense, a veterans association that belongs to the "No Kings" movement.

"At home, we've watched citizens killed in the streets by militarized forces. We've seen families torn apart and immigrant communities targeted. All of it done in the name of one man trying to rule like a king," Shah said.

- Springsteen in Minneapolis -

Organizers say more than 3,000 rallies are planned, an increase from the last protest day, in major cities coast to coast and in suburbs and rural areas -- even in the Alaskan town of Kotzebue, above the Arctic circle.

Minnesota will be a key focal point, returning to the limelight months after becoming ground zero for the national debate over Trump's violent immigration crackdown.

Legendary rocker Bruce Springsteen, a fierce critic of the president, is scheduled to perform in St. Paul, the capital of the northern state, his song "Streets of Minneapolis."

It is a ballad he wrote and recorded in the space of 24 hours in memory of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, Americans shot and killed by federal agents during protests in frigid January weather against Trump's immigration offensive.

"Masked secret police terrorizing our communities. An illegal, catastrophic war putting us in danger and driving up our costs. Attacks on our freedom of speech, our civil rights, our freedom to vote. Costs pushing families to the brink. Trump wants to rule over us as a tyrant," the "No Kings" movement said.

It said what began in 2025 as a simple day of defiance has mushroomed into a powerful movement of national resistance to the Trump administration.

Organizers say two-thirds of those who plan to rally Saturday do not live in big cities, which in America are often Democratic strongholds -- a data point that is up sharply since the last protest.

"America is at an inflection point," said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers.

"People are afraid, and they can't afford basic necessities. It's time the administration listened and helped them build a better life rather than stoking hate and fear."

M.Yamazaki--JT