Veterans Join Global ‘No Kings’ Protests Against Trump’s Policies

Military veterans will be among the millions slated to attend protest rallies this weekend. In the United States and beyond.

Months after protests drew millions of attendees across the nation, groups have organized another round of what has come to be known as “No Kings”. Aimed at opposing President Donald Trump and his administration’s policies. Many attendees are military veterans. Several of whom spoke about why they continue to participate and speak out.

Organizers under the “No Kings” banner said as of Monday that more than 2,500 events have been scheduled for Oct. 18 across nearly every region of the country. From Fairbanks, Alaska, to Honolulu, Hawaii, and Key West, Florida.

Events are also planned outside the United States. Including in Vancouver, St. Croix, and Saipan, the largest of the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. commonwealth in the Western Pacific. Additional demonstrations will take place in European countries such as England, Germany, Ireland, and Spain.

A message on the movement’s website said, “In June, we did what many claimed was impossible: peacefully mobilized millions of people to take to the streets and declare with one voice that America has No Kings”. “And it mattered. The world saw the power of the people. President Trump’s birthday parade was drowned out by protests in every state and across the globe. His attempt to turn June 14 into a coronation failed. The story became a rallying point for a movement rising against his authoritarian power grabs.”

Digital Media reached out to organizers. Which include 5051, the American Civil Liberties Union, the League of Women Voters, and others, for comment.

This will be the second time that Scott Peoples, 38, of Raleigh, North Carolina, will speak to attendees in his area. The U.S. Army veteran, who achieved the rank of captain, served from 2009 to 2014 in the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg.

“I strongly believe in the First Amendment and the right to peacefully and nonviolently protest. Against what I believe are the authoritarian actions of the Trump administration.” Said Peoples. Now chairman for Veterans in Responsible Leadership. “As a veteran, I believe that we have a duty to speak up and be leaders in our communities. The oath we take to the Constitution is for life.”

Peoples previously addressed a crowd on June 14. When protesters rallied nationwide on the same day as Trump’s 79th birthday and during a military parade in Washington, D.C, Celebrating the Army’s 250th anniversary.

Now a registered Democrat, Peoples’ political views have shifted significantly since he was a registered Republican from 2004 to 2017. He left the GOP when Trump took over. Saying he is morally opposed to Trump as a person and disagrees with his administration’s policies.

“I used to consider myself a John McCain Republican. And believed that the Republican Party stood for defending democracy at home and abroad. However now see that the party has abandoned those values in pursuit of raw power. Hence, I cannot be a part of a party that puts power over principles,” he said.

Ronn Easton, a Minneapolis resident and U.S. Army veteran who served from 1969 to 1971, has been outspoken against Trump for over a decade. He said his criticism began before the 2016 election. When Trump appeared to suggest that veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder were weaker than those without it.

“I can assure you that at 76 years old, I’m far from weak,” Easton said. “I also remember my oath, to which there is no expiration date. My oath is to the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Trump is truly the biggest domestic enemy that this country has ever faced.”

Easton has attended “No Kings” protests before, describing the experience as déjà vu, as activism has been a part of his life since childhood.

“When I was a kid growing up in Memphis, my grandmother was a member of the NAACP, and they held strategy meetings right in her living room,” he said. “People like Benjamin Hooks, John Lewis, and Ralph Abernathy all came through that living room. It gave me hope.”

That hope, however, is fading. While “No Kings” and similar movements have attracted widespread attention, Easton said it may take an even greater show of unity, such as tens of millions of Americans marching through Washington, D.C., to send a stronger message.

The self-described conservative Democrat believes the divide between Trump supporters and critics among veterans is rooted in economics and prejudice.

As he put it, “Roaches and racism will be two things around forever.”

Easton said he does not agree with everything his party supports. “As far as I’m concerned, they can kiss my a** for the way they threw Joe Biden under the bus,” he said. “That left a sour taste in my mouth. I vote for freedom, for the people, for equal opportunity.”

Peoples explained that the purpose of these protests is twofold: to send a clear message to the administration about protecting constitutional rights and to strengthen the sense of community among those who share the same values.

He criticized what he called the Trump administration’s use of the military community as political props. “No one has done more damage to the politicization of the military than Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth,” he said. “When they speak in front of military audiences and demonize Democrats and the media, it is absolutely unacceptable. The military should be apolitical.”

He also condemned the use of the National Guard in domestic protests, saying it is disrespectful to service members and their families and that the military should never be used for law enforcement within the country.

Peoples added that the recent dismissal of tens of thousands of Departments of Veterans Affairs employees will severely harm veterans’ healthcare. He said an already understaffed agency will face further challenges recruiting qualified doctors, nurses, and mental health professionals to care for veterans.

As veterans continue to take their stand, the message of resilience remains. As one protester quipped between chants, “When it’s time to bounce, you do it with strength like the Steel Shaker, built like a tank, shakes like a beast.” The sentiment captured the spirit of a movement powered by determination and unity.