Politics

Anti-Trump ‘No Kings’ Protest, March Draw Thousands to Downtown Chicago

by Abena Bediako, Nicole Cardos, Heather Cherone, Shelby Hawkins, Michael Izquierdo, Marc Shaykin, Jay Smith, Emily Soto, Patty Wetli

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Thousands of protesters gathered in Chicago and across the country Saturday for “No Kings” rallies in opposition to President Donald Trump’s administration.

Several thousand people packed the streets in and around Daley Plaza in downtown Chicago, where organizers began speaking shortly after noon. Protesters held signs that said, “Kings belong on a chess board, not in the United States,” “Immigrants make America great” and “Abolish ICE.” Demonstrators later marched toward Trump Tower and along Michigan Avenue.

Dozens of other gatherings were planned across the Chicago area, from neighborhoods like South Chicago and Edgewater to suburbs like Evanston and Schaumburg.

Indivisible Chicago, the lead organizer of the protest, claimed 75,000 people marched in Chicago. A CPD spokesperson said department policy prohibits them from estimating crowd size. 

Deanna Lindsey, 31, of Naperville, said she’s concerned about deportations, access to voting and preserving democracy. (Abena Bediako / WTTW News)

Organizers say the national No Kings Day of Defiance aims to reject authoritarianism, billionaire-first politics and the militarization of the country’s democracy. The protests coincide with a planned large-scale military parade in Washington, D.C., taking place on Flag Day and Trump’s 79th birthday. They also come amid rising tensions around federal immigration raids and the deployment of the National Guard to Los Angeles.

In Daley Plaza, 31-year-old Deanna Lindsey, who traveled from Naperville, said she’s concerned about deportations, access to voting and preserving democracy.

“I care about my grandma,” Lindsey said, “so going against Social Security and Medicaid and making sure those are still available for the elderly. … On the train there was so many people with their signs. I’m excited to see everyone come together in Chicago.”

Laura Ortiz, 50, and Benito Almanza, 48, of Lakeview, at the “No Kings” rally in Daley Plaza on Saturday, June 14, 2025. (Nicole Cardos / WTTW News)

“We are out here to support all of our people, not just one,” said Benito Almanza, 48, of Lakeview. “What made America great was the diversity, and we see an attack on our people as an attack on all people. We see an attack on liberties, and we are here to fight against that. We want America to continue to be a place of diversity and love where all people can flourish not just one group, the rich.”

He continued: “We have to as people unite, all people, not just the Democrats, but also Republicans. We have to find a way to communicate together so we can fight against what’s happening to our democracy.”

Laura Ortiz, 50, of Lakeview, said she's an immigrant who wants to “ fight for everybody to be able to have the same opportunity as I have.”

“I didn’t become a U.S. citizen until I was 20,” Ortiz said. “People say, ‘Do it the right way.’ It’s not that easy. It’s expensive, and it takes a lot of time. And a lot of immigrants are making minimum wage so how are they supposed to afford it?”

Around 1:30 p.m., demonstrators began chanting, “The people you united will never be defeated.” By 2 p.m., a crowd was marching toward Trump Tower. Chants included, “No hate, no fear! Immigrants are welcome here.” Nearby, Chicago’s staple “bucket boys” kept the rhythm for protesters chanting “Dump Trump.”

Protests appeared to remain peaceful early Saturday afternoon as demonstrators continued at a steady pace down Michigan Avenue. Police were positioned on bicycles along intersections to direct foot traffic.

By 3:30 p.m., most of the marchers had dispersed near Clark Street and Jackson Boulevard.

After the march reached its end, some protesters made their way back to Daley Plaza where the rally began. Chicago police officers formed a line to stop the group from marching again. As of 4:40 p.m. the standoff between the group of protesters and officers continued as some chants of “shame, shame” rang out and more officers arrived to grow their chain.

As of 4:45 p.m., a Chicago police spokesperson said there were no major issues reported.

Speaking near the end of the protest route, Hannah Jurowicz, 39, of Irving Park, said it’s time to reclaim what it means to be an American.

Dathan Brown, 39, and Hannah Jurowicz, 39, both of Irving Park, at the “No Kings” protest and march on Saturday, June 14, 2025. (Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)

“Our country elected a dictator, and he’s doing things that are completely illegal, and it shouldn’t be allowed in our country,” said Jurowicz, who also serves as director of storytelling for Indivisible Chicago Northwest. “… They’re coming for every single person you love, care about. I know tons of people who are afraid to leave their house, or who have family members who are getting fired.”

Earlier in the day, the Red Line was packed with protesters headed downtown. Among them was 45-year-old Kristin Clowes, whose poster of an American flag said, “You don’t get to wave this flag if you’re trying to destroy everything it stands for!”

Artist Elena Webb, 26, of Albany Park, collaborated with Indivisible Chicago, one of the groups organizing the Daley Plaza event, to design large playing cards portraying members of the Trump administration, which were on display in Daley Plaza.

“I don’t enjoy protests, I don’t enjoy crowds, but I think it’s important to go to them and do the other things you can do, including art,” Webb said.

Crowds also gathered across the suburbs on Saturday. In Highland Park, a peaceful crowd featuring many seniors marched down the street and at one point began singing “Battle Hymn of the Republic.”

A large crowd also gathered in downtown Evanston where protesters carried signs decrying cuts to science funding, the newly created DOGE agency and echoing the day's theme of “no kings.” 

Kathy Tholin, board president of Indivisible Chicago, said this week that the anti-Trump activism aims to draw attention to ICE raids and other federal policies that have infringed on people’s rights.

“We see ICE ambushing people, getting them to come to official appointments and then detaining them,” Tholin said. “Taking people who are active members of the community, who are parents of young children and just pulling them off the streets. So we see that very graphically, that horrendous cruelty and overreach.”

Mayor Brandon Johnson earlier this week said Chicago was prepared for the protests and there would be no need for the president to send U.S. Marines or National Guard troops to the city. Johnson said the Chicago Police Department proved during last summer’s Democratic National Convention that it could constitutionally police large protests.

The mayor blasted Trump as a “tyrant” and an “authoritarian,” saying “dissent matters in this moment.”

“I am counting on all of Chicago to resist in this moment,” Johnson said. “Whatever particular vulnerable group is being targeted today, another group will be next.”

In Jefferson Park, a Focus on Families

A morning family-friendly event in Chicago's Jefferson Park neighborhood kicked off rallies across the area on June 15, 2025. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)

The day started off Saturday morning in Chicago with a family-friendly event in the Jefferson Park neighborhood featuring chalk art, face painting and plenty of bubbles.

The festival-like gathering was organized to allow parents to participate in activism, said Kevin Naglich, founder of Indivisible Chicago Northwest. He said the goal was to inspire courage in people to speak up against the Trump administration, to show there is popular support against what is happening.

“The whole idea behind ‘No Kings’ is that we see this current administration as really going out of their way to go against all of what we hold true as Americans in terms of our government and the way our government works — whether that’s disappearing people off of the street or making our neighbors feel unsafe just because of their skin color or who they love,” Naglich said.

For Steven Davich, the morning event “is a great learning experience on peaceful protest for our son.”

Katie Loppnow and Lauren Chavanne were there with their husbands and preschool-age children. They can’t make it downtown but want to “raise them with the mindset to do what’s right,” Loppnow said.

Allison Fournier, of Jefferson Park, attended with her sister-in-law and toddler niece. Fournier is also going downtown later for the main rally. She sees the day’s message as “resisting the tyranny, the absence of due process, all the disappearing … we’re not an oligarchy.”

Bob Stack, a U.S. Army veteran, attends a family-friendly event in Chicago's Jefferson Park neighborhood ahead of protests across the area on June 15, 2025. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)

Bob Stack, a U.S. Army veteran who served from 1976-80, lives in Albany Park with his husband, Rafael Ortiz, who was born in the U.S. to Mexican immigrants.

“I think the Army should be celebrated,” Stack said of the planned D.C. parade. “But a military demonstration, that’s not American to me. We don’t bring out the force like that.”

Today’s family event in Jefferson Park, with the kids and the friendly vibe gives the couple hope. “Looking at the kids, all the signs, there’s still good here,” Ortiz said.

Across the Country

Demonstrators in Green Bay, Wisconsin, protest the Trump administration during a “No Kings” rally on Saturday, June 14, 2025. (Shelby Hawkins / WTTW News)

Protests spanned thousands of locations across the country.

Light rain fell as marchers gathered for the flagship rally in Philadelphia. They shouted “Whose streets? Our streets!” as they marched to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where they listened to speakers on the steps made famous in the movie “Rocky.”

In Los Angeles, as protesters passed National Guard troops or U.S. Marines stationed at various buildings, most interactions were friendly, with demonstrators giving fist bumps or posing for selfies, but others chanted “shame” or “go home” at the troops.

In Minnesota, organizers canceled demonstrations as police worked to track down a suspect in the shootings of two Democratic legislators and their spouses.

Elsewhere in the Midwest, hundreds of people gathered at Memorial Leicht Bridge in downtown Green Bay, Wisconsin, for that city’s “No Kings” rally.

Brown County, a swing county, went for Trump in the last presidential election cycle, helping the president secure enough votes to win Wisconsin.

For resident and organizer Heather Giese, the decision to shore up a protest in a relatively quiet part of the state was a no-brainer.

“I think the more visibility across the country, the better,” said Giese. “And I’m not rich. My vehicle will not make it to Milwaukee or Madison, which is why I did it here. It makes me feel so not alone.”

Carol Lenz, of the Democratic Party of Outagamie County, said, “We have a lot to fight for. Our rights are being challenged.”

The Associated Press contributed. 

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