The “No Kings” movement held its third major round of protests across more than 3,100 locations nationwide on March 28, drawing an estimated 9 million participants—making it the largest coordinated demonstration in U.S. history.
While protests occurred in major cities such as New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago, as well as in smaller communities across the country, Washington, D.C. was one of the largest gathering points.
The march took place amid an unusually busy weekend in the capital. While demonstrators were crossing into Washington, the city was also managing large crowds for the National Cherry Blossom Festival and the Blossom Kite Festival near the Washington Monument, both of which brought additional visitors to the National Mall.
An estimated 30,000 demonstrators marched from Arlington into Washington and gathered along the National Mall as part of the coordinated protests. Thousands of protesters brought signs, banners, shirts, merchandise and noisemakers, using them to display political criticism of the Trump administration.
The protest was based upon opposition to what participants claim as an unjust expansion of executive power under president Donald Trump. Protesters cited concerns including immigration policies and military actions abroad, arguing that these actions override constitutionally-protected limits on power.
The march began in Arlington at 10 a.m., continued across Memorial Bridge into the Lincoln Memorial, and brought demonstrators onto the National Mall. Organizers of the event reported many participants later marched across the Frederick Douglass Bridge and past Fort McNair.
“I wanted to be here specifically because this is where people pay attention,” said protestor Marcus Lee, who traveled from Houston, Texas to attend the demonstration in Washington. “These protests are happening back home, but coming here shows how many people across the country feel the same way.”
Other participants also traveled long distances to attend the Washington protest, which the organization described as one of the movement’s flagship events.
Jacqueline Hughson, who said she traveled from Cleveland, Ohio, said the nationwide event of the protest influenced her decision to come to Washington.
“It’s one thing to see a protest in one city,” Hughson said. “It’s another when it’s happening everywhere at once—which makes it feel like people are really paying attention.”
In addition to out of state visitors, local residents also took part in the demonstration in Washington.
Aaliyah Jones, a Northwest D.C. resident, said she attended because of concerns about executive power and federal policy decisions.
“For me, this protest is about modern day accountability,” Jones said. “A lot of people feel like the [Trump] administration keeps pushing further and further across boundaries that it shouldn’t be able to cross, and frankly there has to be some visible response to that.”
The march gradually concluded between 2 and 6 p.m., remaining peaceful throughout with no reported violence. Many protestors who had traveled nationally either remained in the city for the ongoing festivals or returned home, closing out a day that for many had required time, planning and long-distance travel to take part.
“The trip [to Washington] took time, but eventually there comes a point where disagreeing no longer feels like enough” Hughson said. “For a lot of people, this was that point.”
