By Dan Murphy
“If 102-year-old Kurt Goldschmidt, a survivor of the Holocaust, says “no kings” you’d best get up and stand up for your rights before it’s too late. Mr. Goldschmidt knows all too well what he’s seeing in Trump’s America.” Tweeted Tom Watson.
“I’m here today because this is something I can do against Trump. I lived during the Nazi time in Germany and they put me in a concentration camp,” said Goldschmidt, who joined thousands of participants at No Kings Rallies in White Plains, Mt. Kisco, Larchmont, Yonkers, Croton and Mamaroneck. There were few, if any, confrontations with agitators.
Some of the comments from those who attended include:
“I’m proud to report that USA Today has estimated that over 1000 people attended the NO Kings rally in Mt. Kisco, NY. Westchester County has a sizable MAGA population so I am gratified that my new home is courageous in expressing their desire to “keep our republic”.
Protest is a vital expression of boundary— don’t stop. Don’t forget.
I’m sharing this experience b/c of my anger & deep disappointment in the way media is covering (or not covering) the protests & to bring more voice to the collective.
The only point of violence during the entire protest was a trump supporter screaming at protesters in a very unhinged way. We did not engage. Law enforcement who were there to monitor the event helped to de-escalate the man to reduce harm & to protect our right to protest.
Two protest were held in Yonkers; One at Hudson Fulton Memorial Park and at the Yonkers Pride festival.
From Mt. Kisco, ” This is our opportunity to stand up for democracy – For the rule of law, and to say loudly no kings with our signs. I think many of the business owners experienced brisk business that day. There has always been talk about filling the streets with walking shoppers, and having a “vibrant downtown.” We had that for sure on Saturday. But the Village government and taxpayers did not sign up as a location for protests every single week. The cost of the overtime for Westchester County Police is unknown. The Village has budgetary challenges. I was there, and I know the event was incredibly well done, and that there was zero violence, with zero destruction of property.”
By some estimates, the thousands of No Kings rallies across the country last weekend may have amounted to one of the largest mass protests in American history. According to data analyst G. Elliott Morris, between four and six million Americans took part in the protests against Trump and his increasingly authoritarian regime — or somewhere between one and two percent of the entire U.S. population.
Some explanations of what the No Kings Day rallies were about include:
While Trump wastes millions of dollars on a birthday parade in DC, we’re showing up everywhere else to say NO KINGS.
The No Kings protest is a demonstration being organized for June 14, 2025, on the day of the US Army 250th Anniversary Parade and the 79th birthday of US President Donald Trump, in protest of Trump’s policies and actions during his second presidency. No Kings protest.
The biggest issue of protest for the No Kings Protests were to oppose any cuts to Medicaid. Other issues highlighted included abortion rights, immigration rights, and the Gaza war.
No Kings is a nationwide day of defiance. From city blocks to small towns, from courthouse steps to community parks, we’re taking action to reject authoritarianism—and show the world what democracy really looks like.
We’re not gathering to feed his ego. We’re building a movement that leaves him behind.
The flag doesn’t belong to President Trump. It belongs to us. We’re not watching history happen. We’re making it.
On June 14th, we’re showing up everywhere he isn’t—to say no thrones, no crowns, no kings.
