Editor’s note: Columnists Matthew Jegers and Wren Warne-Jacobson wrote this article. This article has been reviewed for objectivity.

WASHINGTON — Protesters marched on Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the United States Capitol on Saturday, Oct. 18, for the anti-Donald Trump “No Kings” protest, one of the largest nationwide protests in the country’s history. 

Reports estimated more than 200,000 people attended the event in the nation’s capital, which occupied several blocks on Pennsylvania Avenue NW. Nearly seven million people attended more than 2,700 anti-Trump demonstrations that took place across the country.

Marchers protested President Donald Trump’s immigration policy, the presence of national guard troops in U.S. cities, the administration’s role in international conflicts and the defunding of public television, among other issues. Protesters carried signs written in various languages, depicting America’s history of standing against domestic tyranny. 

Several signs specifically expressed love for the U.S. following remarks by prominent GOP leaders, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), who said “No Kings” protestors hate America.

Protesters carried flags of numerous countries, including Ukraine, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Palestine alongside the U.S. flag. Others waved pride flags. Protestors even donned full costumes in order to attend, ranging from inflatable animals to the Statue of Liberty and even Trump himself.

This tactic caught on after ICE agents pepper-sprayed a protester in an inflatable frog costume, aiming for the costume’s air vent at a protest in Portland, Oregon, last month.  

Several speakers, including senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), criticized Trump’s actions and called for resistance, garnering cheers from the crowd. 

As the event went on, Pennsylvania Avenue became so crowded that event organizers told incoming attendees to enter the avenue from a street several blocks away. 

While the U.S. Park Police, National Guard and other law enforcement agencies were present, the protest remained peaceful before dispersing in the afternoon. Families attended with young children, and people stopped to enjoy live music by the DC Activist Street Band. 

Trump quickly took to mocking this round of “No Kings” demonstrations on social media, posting an AI-generated video of himself dropping feces on “No Kings” protestors from a fighter plane labeled “King Trump” while wearing a crown.

Protesters said their fears about the defunding of public programs, increasing presidential power and growing racial division motivated them to join the protest. Many cited historical social movements, such as the fight for civil rights, as blueprints for resistance to the Trump administration.