ANN ARBOR, MI — Ann Arbor’s “No Kings” protest on Saturday largely took aim at President Donald Trump, but two of the event’s speakers went off script with a different message.

A 33-mile trip from one protest in Annapolis, Md., to the parade grandstand in front of the White House was like a journey between two different countries.

Between activism, election results and protest turnout, the prevailing political winds suggest the backlash to the president is real.

Evanston joined cities across the nation in holding a “No Kings” rally June 14, 2025, to protest Trump Administration actions.

U.S. President Donald Trump took the stage on Saturday to address the crowd attending the Army's 250th Birthday celebration, which featured a parade showcasing U.S. military equipment earlier in the day.

While President Trump celebrated his 79th birthday and the Army’s 250th birthday with a military parade in Washington D.C. on Saturday, “No Kings Day of Defiance” protests

“The most threatening sound to an oligarch is laughter.”

The"No Kings" protests are planned to oppose what they see as Trump's power grab. The number of planned events is nearly double that of the April 5 "Hands Off" protest that saw millions of Americans turn out in big and small cities nationwide.