Thousands of demonstrators hit the streets of South Florida, from Mar-a-Lago to Miami, to condemn the policies of President Donald Trump on Saturday during a long planned "No Kings" protest.
The South Florida protesters were part of a nationwide rally of Trump opponents who are countering the president's orchestrated military parade Saturday to mark the Army's 250th anniversary — and the president's birthday — in Washington, D.C.
Protests in nearly 2,000 locations were scheduled across the country, from city blocks and small towns to courthouse steps and community parks, organizers said. No events were being held in Washington, D.C., where the military parade was taking place in the evening.
The 50501 Movement, along with other groups, organized the across-the-country protests — the name stands for 50 states, 50 protests, one movement.
The group says it picked the "No Kings" name to support democracy and speak out against what they call the authoritarian actions of the Trump administration. Protests earlier this year have targeted Trump and billionaire adviser Elon Musk, who has left from his role leading the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
Protesters want Trump to be "dethroned" as they compare his actions to that of a king — and not a democratically elected president.
Trump on Thursday was asked about the protests, and told reporters, "I don't feel like a king. I have to go through hell to get stuff approved."
In a statement late Saturday, No Kings Coalition issued the following statement:
"Today, across red states and blue, rural towns and major cities, Americans stood in peaceful unity and made it clear: we don't do kings."
"While Trump and MAGA-aligned governors wasted public dollars on riot gear and fear tactics, the people brought hope, humor, and harmony. A national act of joyful resistance," said the coalitionl
"We don't do kings in this country. We do solidarity. We do community. We do justice—and we do it together," they said.
Nationwide, the No Kings protest spawned about 2,000 demonstrations. Florida was the site of about 70 demonstrations, according to organizers.
In Tallahassee, Florida's capital, about 1,000 people gathered on the grounds of Florida's old Capitol, where protesters chanted, "This is what community looks like," and carried signs with messages like "one nation under distress" and "dissent is patriotic."
Rally organizers explicitly told the crowd to avoid any conflicts with counter-protesters and to take care not to jaywalk or disrupt traffic.
In South Florida, WLRN dispatched reporters to various protests around the region and rounded up reports from the Associated Press and South Florida media outlets.
🚨 JUST IN: No Kings Day protesters have officially reached Mar-a-Lago.
— Brian Allen (@allenanalysis) June 14, 2025
In the shadow of Trump’s golden fortress, the people are marching; loud, defiant, and done bowing to billionaires who think they’re above the law.
Palm Beach just sent a message: We don’t crown criminals.… pic.twitter.com/DuDqEIizyp
Palm Beach County
In West Palm Beach, thousands of anti-Trump protesters marched from the city to Trump's large estate and club at Mar-a-Lago. Trump is not at the resort but in Washington, D.C., for the military parade scheduled later in the day.
At the Meyer Ampitheater in West Palm Beach, Blanca Hernández arrived with her aunt Ana Escobar, both of whom are first-generation U.S. citizens born to Salvadoran immigrant parents.
They decided to join the protests to speak out against Trump's aggressive deportation policies, telling The Palm Beach Post that their own relatives are living in fear.
Hernández said here mother has a work permit but doesn't leave the house because she doesn't want to risk being apprehended by federal immigration authorities.
Hernández and Escobar said another family member was waiting for a ride to work recently when he got detained and deported by agents from U.S. Customs and Enforcement.
"Immigrants built America," Hernández told The Palm Beach Post. "We are employees. We make businesses."
The keynote speaker at the Meyer Amphitheater was Lev Parnas, a former associate of Rudy Giuliani and a figure in Trump's first impeachment investigation. In 2022, he was convicted of fraud and campaign finance in federal court and has turned against Trump.
Parnas cooperated with a Congressional probe of Trump and his efforts to get Ukrainian leaders to investigate President Joe Biden's son. He lives in Palm Beach County.
Broward County
In Fort Lauderdale Beach, protestors lined both sides of A1A for about half a mile north and south of Sunrise Boulevard.
Heat was an issue, with multiple protestors having collapsed due to high temperatures. The protest ended before 1 p.m.
One set of protesters had a large banner that read, "No Kings in America."
" People are upset about Donald Trump having a birthday parade for himself — that taxpayers are paying for," Jennifer Jones, Hope and Action, Indivisible, the protest organizer, told WLRN.
"We're out here saying, no kings," she said. "This is our country and we're not gonna let it slide into authoritarianism."
" People today are super excited to have a place to express their dissent in a peaceful, nonviolent way," she added.
Protester Raiza Miranda, originally from Brazil, said Trump's heavy-fisted rule reminds her of her native country's military dictatorship (1964-1985). She said her father was jailed by Brazil's military government, so she feels a duty to speak out, especially Trump's deportation agenda.
" We don't agree with what's going on in our country right now," she said. "Picking people up off the streets. Masked men, no identification, refusing to ID themselves."
"At the end of the day, this is not how we want to see our country go," said Miranda, who co-runs a firm that works with immigrants.
Another protestor, Kerry Taylor, told WLRN that Trump reneged on his pledge to pursue undocumented immigrants convicted of crimes.
"He [Trump] told us when he got elected, that he was gonna go after criminals and rapists, and he's not doing that," Taylor said.
" He's trying to become a king. And that's, that's not America," Taylor said. "America has a president that represents all the people, not just one group of MAGA people."
In Coral Springs, Christine Calareso Bleecker, of Indivisible Joyful Resistance, one of several protest organizers, ticked off the many reasons she opposes the president.
"Defying the Constitution is not normal," she told Local 10 News. "Treating immigrants without due process is not normal. Taking funds away from Medicaid to throw a military parade — this is not normal."
Miami-Dade County
In downtown Miami, demonstrators lined Biscayne Boulevard in and around the Torch of Friendship, waving signs amid the sound of horns blaring from passing cars.
One sign read, "USA REJECTING KINGS SINCE 1776."
Jack Smith, of Fort Lauderdale, said he joined the protest because he "scared with how this country's going."
"Democracy fails slowly and … right now we're looking at the edge of a cliff," he told WLRN. "We're losing a lot of rights every day."
He offered ice packs and cold water to fellow protesters affected by the extreme heat.
Blanca Lopez, of Homestead, told WLRN that her parents are undocumented immigrants who pick okra in the fields and sends her to run errands in fear of federal immigration authorities.
"They're scared to even get out their house," she said. "I'm born here so I'm their go-to person."
She needs others need to "speak up" for undocumented immigrants targeted by the Trump administration.
Enrique Tarrio, former leader of the Proud Boys, drew some attention and the ire of the crowd when he began speaking to media outlets in Miami. He told reporters he was there to promote an app that encourages people to turn in undocumented immigrants for money.
Trump pardoned Tarrio for his role in the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
In Miami Beach, Monica Tracy, 67, who organized the local No Kings protest, said Trump's actions since taking office in January were more that of a king than a president.
"We were founded as a country — we all learned in grade school — founded in protest to King George," she told the Miami Herald. "Our founding principle is that we didn't want a king, and now we have one."
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