‘No Kings’ Protests in Bemidji, Brainerd, & Elsewhere Attract Large Crowds

Large crowds of protesters gathered in cities across the U.S. on Saturday for the second “No Kings” event held this year.

Over 70 rallies were held in Minnesota, including five in the Lakeland viewing area, as demonstrators feel they see a drift into authoritarianism under President Donald Trump and his administration.

Organizers of Brainerd’s rally say it drew an estimated 2,500 people, a 25% increase from the first demonstration held in June. Bemidji and Grand Rapids saw a similar turnout to their first “No Kings” rallies, but additional demonstrations in Park Rapids and Crosby brought the total turnout to an estimated 6,000 people within the viewing area.

“My patients are terrified,” said Diane Pittman, a physician at True North Health Care, on why she was protesting in Bemidji. “They are getting letters in the mail saying that their benefits may be cut, [that] they may not get their Social Security checks next month, and it’s time for this to stop. We are funding wealth care for the rich, and we are not funding health care for those of us that have paid for it. So it is time for Congress to get back to session, and it is time for this president to negotiate, and it is time to take care of our people.”

Some Republicans have disparaged the demonstrations as “Hate America” rallies. From the White House to Capitol Hill, GOP leaders have called the protesters “communists” and “Marxists,” and President Trump called the “No Kings” protests a joke.

“I looked at the people. They’re not representative of this country,” said Trump on Sunday on Air Force One. “And I looked at all the brand new signs paid for. I guess it was paid for by [George] Soros and other radical left lunatics. It looks like it was worth checking it out. The demonstrations were very small, very ineffective, and the people were whacked out.”

As a reporter started to ask another question, he added, “By the way, I’m not a king. I’m not a king. I work my *** off to make our country great. That’s all it is. I’m not a king at all.”

Nationwide, organizers say nearly seven million people attended more than 2,600 rallies planned for Saturday. The national march against Trump and Elon Musk this last spring had 1,300 registered locations, while the first “No Kings” day in June registered 2,100 events.