Protesters at 'No Kings' rallies have no idea why they’re demonstrating against Trump

WASHINGTON, DC: The nationwide “No Kings” protests rolled through major cities on Saturday, October 18, billed by organizers as a 7-million-strong rebuke of “authoritarianism.”

Trouble is, many demonstrators couldn’t name a single clear reason when reporters asked exactly why they were there, .

'No Kings' protesters display lots of signs but offer few specifics

Organizers insisted the rallies were meant to “affirm” that the country “does not belong to kings” and to reject Trump’s alleged slide toward authoritarian rule. On the ground, however, several attendees stumbled when asked to explain what that actually meant.

When a reporter asked one woman, “Why are you protesting?” she froze up. “Um … how much time do you have?” she shot back, then struggled to land on a main gripe.

“I don’t agree with a lot of the decisions that are being made … So, I would start with, um … well … I don’t even think it’s appropriate for me to have this interview.”

Nearby in Charlotte, North Carolina, protesters in inflatable frog outfits were similarly vague. A woman in a pink frog suit offered a scattershot answer.

“There’s so many things, mostly like freedom of speech, of like being able to gather and, uh, tell everybody like, what we don’t like about this administration and pretty much that being … that’s a right we’re worried we’re gonna lose," she said.

A man in a green frog suit chimed in that they were united against Trump, but didn’t list specific actions by the president that inspired the protest.

Turning Point USA’s Caroline Joyous took a microphone to ask attendees a pointed question, “I was wondering how President Trump has put your freedom in jeopardy.”

One protester answered, “I wouldn’t say my freedom is in jeopardy.” When Joyous pushed, “So why are you here at the ‘No Kings’ protest I guess?” the protester gave no answer. A woman in a shark costume and another attendee also failed to produce specifics when pressed.

Some protesters tried to frame the complaint in institutional terms but stumbled when asked to define them. One respondent accused Trump of “actively switching the levers of power in order to subvert elections.”

When pressed, “And what does that mean?" the protester trailed off, “Things such as … uh, not, uh … sorry, I’m having trouble coming up with words.”

What 'No Kings' movement says and what some attendees shouted

“No Kings” launched in June, describing itself as being dedicated to “national resistance to tyranny” and a mission to “defend democracy” while Trump holds power.

The organization’s website accuses the president of doubling down on what it calls tyranny by “targeting immigrant families,” “detaining people without warrants” and “threatening to overtake elections.”

But while the leadership’s language on their website is pointed, some participants at rallies escalated well beyond rhetoric.

A woman at a Portland, Maine, protest openly wished for Trump’s death. “I hope that I see the obituary that we’re all waiting for tomorrow,” she said. In Seattle, one man reportedly told a reporter he wanted to kill White House deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller.

At a Chicago “No Kings” event with a Progressive Labor Party banner in the background, a speaker allegedly called for violence against federal agents.

“You gotta grab a gun, we gotta turn around the guns on this fascist system. These ICE agents gotta get shot and wiped out,” he apparently shouted. “The same machinery that’s on full display right there has to get wiped out.”

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