Some MAGA was commenting on a post about a CNN poll with trump's low approval rating saying how it couldn't be trusted "because it's CNN." I replied that we had our own poll yesterday with undeniable results that we all saw with our own eyes.
May I ask where you got these numbers? I have been looking for an estimate, and they all are like “over 5 million” and “organizers say millions came.” It was clearly much higher.
Can we realistically say somewhere between 5 and 12 million? Respectfully, Gelliott admits he wasn’t counting Pride festivities. There’s plenty of overlap.
In the end, we are winning and he is losing, despite what the New York Times fails to report, and despite the lack of attendance from certain party leaders.
If someone isn't counting Pride events, they omitted all 1 million in Boston. That's just wrong. There were loads of people there specifically for No Kings or No Kings/Pride combo, and it's a fair bet that zero Pride marchers were pro-MAGA.
I'm patient about numbers. I know it takes a while to analyze photos for density, make sure they caught the full length of any parade, etc. A helicopter flew over one of the events I went to yesterday shortly after its official start time - while a couple thousand of us were still parking and walking a mile because the crowd was so much bigger than anybody expected. A half-hour later it was three or four times as crowded, but the helicopter only flew over once and couldn't see under the tree canopy. I was happy to help with on the ground counting.
I hope it was closer to 10 million, the number we need to hit to meet that approximately 1% of the population that can actually move the needle on defeating tyrants…some folks reported Boston had 1 million itself, though I wonder about that…from all the pics and reports I’ve seen, it feels like 10 million is definitely possible…I’m guessing the Indivisible leaders will talk about this at the follow up meeting tomorrow night on Zoom at 7pm Central time…looking forward to hearing what Ezra and Leah have to say. they are strategy geniuses!
Yesterday I was paying way too much attention to the numbers for my own happiness. It took me until evening to realize that.
No matter the final count, we had millions of participants, the protests were peaceful, and the stupid North Korea parade was a flop. I am horrified by the tragedy in Minnesota but in awe of the resilience there.
I have already seen plenty of coverage that focuses solely on the few dozen outbreaks of violence, but in this country, the overall *lack* of violence should be the bigger story.
In any case, I really do *not* want the narrative to be that “Democrats failed to mobilize 10 million people,” or “Democrats overstate the crowd sizes,” when what we did achieve was astonishing and beautiful and powerful and important, no matter what the number turns out to be.
(Though, I am still very interested to find out. Just trying not to make it more important than it is.)
alt Nat Park is my gold standard. They are pros at crowd counting. They were flabbergasted!!! Think this might have been the biggest one day protest in US history.
Mike--Thanks so much for posting this. Reading through the comments on it. I saw a couple that made me wonder if all the sites were really included, and whether the number could be even higher:
(1) "This list isn’t even complete, there are just too many to name, and honestly, people would stop reading. Turnout across the country was historic. Drop a shoutout in the comments if your city showed up!"
(This could just refer to the list of cities and towns in their original post, of course--I just posted a reply to their comment asking for clarification)
(2) "We haven’t counted international protests yet, since none of our coalition members could travel that far to confirm. But we still want to send love to our international family, your support means the world. Remember, we have friends everywhere!" (I would assume most of the international attendees were Americans overseas, and therefore should be included)
Hey Mike, one other question. I can't find the spreadsheet you're referring to and wondered if you could post it here. Or if not, if you could tell me how they treated Boston, Columbus (OH), and Springfield (MO), the three cities where I know No Kings coincided with Pride marches. I think I read somewhere in their thread that they discounted Boston for this reason. I'm writing something up for Hopium and elsewhere about the numbers that I think you're going to like (ideally, I could link to the spreadsheet, but if not, knowing what they did with the numbers for Pride cities would be very helpful)
I created it using AI tools, which I feel a little defensive admitting. I'm a musician and a lyricist, so I'm just using these tools to help execute a creative vision I have. And in service to our democracy.
Thank you and thanks for asking. Sharing the songs with your networks helps a lot. I'm working on starting a Substack called Movements (every movement needs a soundtrack!) where I can distribute them.
Well done Chaska! I went to St. Paul. Mostly somber and sad but the fact that 80,000 of us showed up after being warned away, and that Keith Ellison led the marchers down John Ireland Blvd was heartening, to say the least. No Kings!!
One of the signs at the Chaska rally said "Emmer is a pawn". Minnesota needs to work on getting rid of Tom Emmer. He should fear the voters instead of Taco Don. Yesterday proved that.
Who wrote and sang that great protest song? Never mind, I just saw that it’s A I ! Incredible. So how do we make it our protest song for the movement!? More of that please!!! Thanks
Remember Trump’s speech at Fort Bragg? Apparently the troops who were present were screened for their political views/loyalty. The military is investigating.
This explains the soldiers’ MAGA-like responses to their Commander-in-Chief (sic) treating this like a hate-fest to attack his enemies. Clearly Trump and his handlers were too cowardly to take any chances, hence the careful screening.
Edit: Overtly political reactions, such as those MAGA-like responses, would normally be grounds for reprimands. But as we all know, these are not normal times.
This makes me wonder who did the screening, whether someone within Ft Bragg leadership or someone not Army at all? I like the second answer much better!
That is great to hear, AS, and makes total sense because (a) Trump ALWAYS games his crowds when he's scared (b) the notion that the military supports him just doesn't jibe with what I have been hearing, eg my mom is in assisted living in northern VA with a lot of veterans and says every single one of them hates him with a passion; a good friend who was high-ranking in the Coast Guard before retiring says the same is true there.
If we were to make a serious effort to educate active-duty and veterans about all the times and ways in which he has disrespected and undermined them and their values throughout his life ('suckers and losers' is just a small chip on the tip of that iceberg), it would go a long way towards ensuring the military will defy his illegal orders and defend *us* against his brownshirts. More on that soon...
Alongside the 80-100,000 that came out in NYC in the miserable rain, there were another 10,000+ that came out in the same rain across Long Island NY. There were around 2,000 in the rally I took my Gen Z daughters to. Another one further out on the island had estimated 5,000. Cars unanimously honking in solidarity. One—yes, one—maga guy drove around the block with a megaphone saying “Trump is your king” a few times, then left.
I attended the event/rally in Huntsville, AL. First time I’ve done something like this. Had fun making signs, many of which I gave away at the rally. Brought a friend. The lead organizer estimated 2000-3000 in attendance. I think that was on the high side. But whatever the size, it was a pretty good crowd for an area that is no longer purple.
Great turnout in Seattle yesterday! They are estimating 70,000+ It felt like more. It took us about two hours to march across the city to the Seattle Center. A variety of signs on topics ranging from anti ICE to impeachment to reclaiming democracy. Quite a few American flags, some flown upside down (as a sign of distress). Overall, it was a peaceful display but the mood was one of fierce resistance.
Amazing turnout in Seattle. In addition to the over 70,000 that marched in Seattle, there was another demonstration at the University of Washington, which a friend in attendance estimated had another 4-5 thousand.
Pod Save America -- Jon Favreau did an important interview with Erica Chenowith (the social scientist who discovered the "3.5% rule": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4syl-hZ9_I
There were 70,000-80,000 out in Seattle for a peaceful protest that elicited compliments from our Governor, Bob Ferguson. Given our community’s commitment to taking back the flag, I ordered lots of small American flags and handed them out at the protest. Will continue to do this - people loved it!
Same here! I was inspired by both Simon's "take back our flag" comments after the DNC Convention last year and Heather Cox Richardson's comments last week in her politics chat to be joyful and patriotic, wear the colors, bring your flags, etc. People really enjoyed receiving them! I handed out 50 to a group of 258 protesters!
I got a baseball hat beautifully embroidered with a flag for just this reason. Was glad to see lots of flags, big and small, worn and waved, at the march in Stamford, CT.
Even in the relatively quiet, conservative Tri-Valley area including Dublin, CA our Indivisible Team organized a super successful rally yesterday! We had political theatre, a speech from a Vietnam Vet, wonderful music and singing, and a human chain that stretched for a mild on both sides of the street! There were 1300 registered attendees but a crowd of close to 3000 came and the day was entirely peaceful! The hundreds of cars passing by participated joyfully by chanting and honking horns as they passed!!! Beautiful
Thank you for all of these photos and that inspiring amazing video from Chasta MN. I was at Seal Beach CA, a town of a little over 24,000 in Orange (aptly named) County. What a turnout!! It was so terrific.
Thank you so much for this. It's so inspiring and hopeful. Our hearts in Minnesota are heavy, but I am so proud of the state for showing up. (Get it, Chaska!) I haven't heard any calls for the GOP to condemn violence/turn down their rhetoric (unlike with the Dems after the assassination attempt on Trump), and I'm grateful to Art B for making that a part of his call. This should be front page news for days, but I fear without the same noise machine, it won't be.
Some friends bought us tickets to the afternoon Lynx game yesterday so I couldn't go to the protests, but there was a moment of silence for Rep. Hortman before the game. When the announcer said, "Thank you," afterwards, someone immediately shouted, "NO KINGS MOTHERFUCKER," and the whole place cheered.
There is a Go Fund Me for Rep Hoffman and his wife (run by the PTO of the school where Yvette Hoffman works) if anyone is interested: https://gofund.me/c171bc16
12.1 million. 3.6%.
Nobody can take those numbers away from us. Nobody!
Some MAGA was commenting on a post about a CNN poll with trump's low approval rating saying how it couldn't be trusted "because it's CNN." I replied that we had our own poll yesterday with undeniable results that we all saw with our own eyes.
May I ask where you got these numbers? I have been looking for an estimate, and they all are like “over 5 million” and “organizers say millions came.” It was clearly much higher.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid031D3ah1RHmJzS4kxYsVqVDb4B5hEzPuDrwuiE9oiWJaE3xbYuiL1S5VoJZXjqJAGrl&id=100064806036542&mibextid=wwXIfr
Alt National Park Service counted from all 2100+ events.
I wouldn’t say this number if it wasn’t backed up.
Strength in Numbers came up with 4-6m
https://www.gelliottmorris.com/p/no-kings-day-protests-turn-out-millions
Can we realistically say somewhere between 5 and 12 million? Respectfully, Gelliott admits he wasn’t counting Pride festivities. There’s plenty of overlap.
In the end, we are winning and he is losing, despite what the New York Times fails to report, and despite the lack of attendance from certain party leaders.
We are winning.
If someone isn't counting Pride events, they omitted all 1 million in Boston. That's just wrong. There were loads of people there specifically for No Kings or No Kings/Pride combo, and it's a fair bet that zero Pride marchers were pro-MAGA.
I'm patient about numbers. I know it takes a while to analyze photos for density, make sure they caught the full length of any parade, etc. A helicopter flew over one of the events I went to yesterday shortly after its official start time - while a couple thousand of us were still parking and walking a mile because the crowd was so much bigger than anybody expected. A half-hour later it was three or four times as crowded, but the helicopter only flew over once and couldn't see under the tree canopy. I was happy to help with on the ground counting.
I hope it was closer to 10 million, the number we need to hit to meet that approximately 1% of the population that can actually move the needle on defeating tyrants…some folks reported Boston had 1 million itself, though I wonder about that…from all the pics and reports I’ve seen, it feels like 10 million is definitely possible…I’m guessing the Indivisible leaders will talk about this at the follow up meeting tomorrow night on Zoom at 7pm Central time…looking forward to hearing what Ezra and Leah have to say. they are strategy geniuses!
1% of the population is roughly 3.4 million. Some say 2.5% to 3% marks a likelihood of major change.
It has to be 1% or whatever percent of ADULT population. Little kids can't be counted to be able to pretest.
Yesterday I was paying way too much attention to the numbers for my own happiness. It took me until evening to realize that.
No matter the final count, we had millions of participants, the protests were peaceful, and the stupid North Korea parade was a flop. I am horrified by the tragedy in Minnesota but in awe of the resilience there.
I have already seen plenty of coverage that focuses solely on the few dozen outbreaks of violence, but in this country, the overall *lack* of violence should be the bigger story.
In any case, I really do *not* want the narrative to be that “Democrats failed to mobilize 10 million people,” or “Democrats overstate the crowd sizes,” when what we did achieve was astonishing and beautiful and powerful and important, no matter what the number turns out to be.
(Though, I am still very interested to find out. Just trying not to make it more important than it is.)
alt Nat Park is my gold standard. They are pros at crowd counting. They were flabbergasted!!! Think this might have been the biggest one day protest in US history.
San Antonio had a successful and peaceful protest with 3-5,000. No National Guard in sight.
It was very hot, many young and Hispanic in attendance due to local ICE raids.
I read 5 million country wide.
I was in no way implying that you couldn't back them up! I just couldn't find them myself. Thanks.
Mike--Thanks so much for posting this. Reading through the comments on it. I saw a couple that made me wonder if all the sites were really included, and whether the number could be even higher:
(1) "This list isn’t even complete, there are just too many to name, and honestly, people would stop reading. Turnout across the country was historic. Drop a shoutout in the comments if your city showed up!"
(This could just refer to the list of cities and towns in their original post, of course--I just posted a reply to their comment asking for clarification)
(2) "We haven’t counted international protests yet, since none of our coalition members could travel that far to confirm. But we still want to send love to our international family, your support means the world. Remember, we have friends everywhere!" (I would assume most of the international attendees were Americans overseas, and therefore should be included)
The No Kings website advertised 2100 events on the site. The spreadsheet tracked about 990, as of last night.
Thanks much, Mike! :)
Hey Mike, one other question. I can't find the spreadsheet you're referring to and wondered if you could post it here. Or if not, if you could tell me how they treated Boston, Columbus (OH), and Springfield (MO), the three cities where I know No Kings coincided with Pride marches. I think I read somewhere in their thread that they discounted Boston for this reason. I'm writing something up for Hopium and elsewhere about the numbers that I think you're going to like (ideally, I could link to the spreadsheet, but if not, knowing what they did with the numbers for Pride cities would be very helpful)
Here it is!
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/158rlsPk0jxXwh3GIKl2YP1W84dPLC_2RXZnMjaG5bVw/edit?usp=drivesdk
Per 50501: 11 million! Put it in your search bar here on substack to confirm
Here's another interesting take on the numbers: https://thepeopledissent.substack.com/p/and-the-official-june-14-count-is?fbclid=IwY2xjawK9GcZleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFQZ0dOUFhWR05TaHFTMmlnAR7c8zDKDEiIXLcieWRWcTD2ZjK3q2Tsyc6t6U1iz1Aag0AIzMv7VEGrGjqsQw_aem_6mPIgvEBhW81tgA8bGcRnQ&triedRedirect=true
That’s a great article, thanks!
that's what we needed to do!!!
In Chaska, Minnesota, with a population of 2700 people, 2300 showed up for our pro-democracy rally.
No kings! No crowns!
Hell no, we won’t stand down!
No thrones, no golden rings —
We serve the people, not kings!
No kings
Hell no!
No kings
Let that tyrant know!
#NoKings #NoKingsDay
https://youtu.be/bpiKfhyntbk?si=sOiDyqb502P2bMhM
Here's a different version: https://youtube.com/shorts/9q3eAndN9iU?si=lrEi_A0Y2DX4fk17
What group is singing this? It's excellent. Would like to share but want to give credit to the musicians.
I created it using AI tools, which I feel a little defensive admitting. I'm a musician and a lyricist, so I'm just using these tools to help execute a creative vision I have. And in service to our democracy.
To Simon's point about owning the Fourth, here's another song about taking back the flag: https://youtu.be/EDCMQHU__j0?si=SQJl-5xhp8eHU2E1
Well done! So the voices are AI? I'm not anti-AI.
Yes.
Would always rather support a musician!
Hi, Linda: I just launched a new Substack with more of these songs: https://www.movements.rocks/
I don’t care how you created it, the song is incredible! It gave me chills - it captured what I and I think all of us here feel. Thank you David!!!
Hi, Lisa: I just launched a new Substack with more of these songs: https://www.movements.rocks/
David, these are fantastic! What can we do to expand your work? I feel like we can really use this kind of energy.
Thank you and thanks for asking. Sharing the songs with your networks helps a lot. I'm working on starting a Substack called Movements (every movement needs a soundtrack!) where I can distribute them.
HI, Allison: I just launched a new Substack with more of these songs: https://www.movements.rocks/
Dude, you are talented. Very talented. Congratulations. Artificial intelligence needs a background intelligence and that is you.
Thank you! You are too kind.
Hi, Purobi: I just launched a new Substack with more of these songs: https://www.movements.rocks/
Well done Chaska! I went to St. Paul. Mostly somber and sad but the fact that 80,000 of us showed up after being warned away, and that Keith Ellison led the marchers down John Ireland Blvd was heartening, to say the least. No Kings!!
We’ve been protesting every Saturday in Chaska since April. Average about 300 people. Hopefully, this sparks more people to attend on Saturdays.
80,000! That blows me away, along with Keith Ellison and the video that David Erickson put together.
What a great day for Chaska, Minnesota!!!!
One of the signs at the Chaska rally said "Emmer is a pawn". Minnesota needs to work on getting rid of Tom Emmer. He should fear the voters instead of Taco Don. Yesterday proved that.
Who wrote and sang that great protest song? Never mind, I just saw that it’s A I ! Incredible. So how do we make it our protest song for the movement!? More of that please!!! Thanks
We can start by sharing it w/our friends..
Hi, I just launched a new Substack with more of these songs: https://www.movements.rocks/
Am in LA yesterday and today. Saw only peaceful protests.
I'm from LA and went to Pasadena yesterday. Peaceful, jubilant, inspiring and unifying - more like street fair than war-fair.
Happy Father's Day, Simon!
I got goosebumps reading this article! Nicely done my fellow proud and patriotic Americans ❤️
Remember Trump’s speech at Fort Bragg? Apparently the troops who were present were screened for their political views/loyalty. The military is investigating.
This explains the soldiers’ MAGA-like responses to their Commander-in-Chief (sic) treating this like a hate-fest to attack his enemies. Clearly Trump and his handlers were too cowardly to take any chances, hence the careful screening.
https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2025/06/12/soldiers-screened-for-appearance-and-politics-ahead-of-trump-visit/
Edit: Overtly political reactions, such as those MAGA-like responses, would normally be grounds for reprimands. But as we all know, these are not normal times.
This makes me wonder who did the screening, whether someone within Ft Bragg leadership or someone not Army at all? I like the second answer much better!
read that T called for Troops in the background who didn't support him to swap out. Plaid shirt guy rules.
Also screened for their body fat......
Whereas that orange-skinned speaker most obviously was not.
That is great to hear, AS, and makes total sense because (a) Trump ALWAYS games his crowds when he's scared (b) the notion that the military supports him just doesn't jibe with what I have been hearing, eg my mom is in assisted living in northern VA with a lot of veterans and says every single one of them hates him with a passion; a good friend who was high-ranking in the Coast Guard before retiring says the same is true there.
If we were to make a serious effort to educate active-duty and veterans about all the times and ways in which he has disrespected and undermined them and their values throughout his life ('suckers and losers' is just a small chip on the tip of that iceberg), it would go a long way towards ensuring the military will defy his illegal orders and defend *us* against his brownshirts. More on that soon...
I am so proud and happy to see all these reports. Thank you for every person who protested. I will be with you all hopefully in a year.
Alongside the 80-100,000 that came out in NYC in the miserable rain, there were another 10,000+ that came out in the same rain across Long Island NY. There were around 2,000 in the rally I took my Gen Z daughters to. Another one further out on the island had estimated 5,000. Cars unanimously honking in solidarity. One—yes, one—maga guy drove around the block with a megaphone saying “Trump is your king” a few times, then left.
That’s fantastic. And did someone hire that MAGA guy? Because he’s making your point for you.
Making 2 points for us—that there’s more of than there are of them!
Our tiny county had 3.3% turnout. Only 3 counterprotesters and we thwarted the guy with the livestock truck.
I attended the event/rally in Huntsville, AL. First time I’ve done something like this. Had fun making signs, many of which I gave away at the rally. Brought a friend. The lead organizer estimated 2000-3000 in attendance. I think that was on the high side. But whatever the size, it was a pretty good crowd for an area that is no longer purple.
Dallas - police estimates were 10,000!
Great turnout in Seattle yesterday! They are estimating 70,000+ It felt like more. It took us about two hours to march across the city to the Seattle Center. A variety of signs on topics ranging from anti ICE to impeachment to reclaiming democracy. Quite a few American flags, some flown upside down (as a sign of distress). Overall, it was a peaceful display but the mood was one of fierce resistance.
Amazing turnout in Seattle. In addition to the over 70,000 that marched in Seattle, there was another demonstration at the University of Washington, which a friend in attendance estimated had another 4-5 thousand.
Saw a time lapse video of the Seattle march that was really amazing
Pod Save America -- Jon Favreau did an important interview with Erica Chenowith (the social scientist who discovered the "3.5% rule": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4syl-hZ9_I
Was just listening to this. It's really good.
There were 70,000-80,000 out in Seattle for a peaceful protest that elicited compliments from our Governor, Bob Ferguson. Given our community’s commitment to taking back the flag, I ordered lots of small American flags and handed them out at the protest. Will continue to do this - people loved it!
Well done!
Same here! I was inspired by both Simon's "take back our flag" comments after the DNC Convention last year and Heather Cox Richardson's comments last week in her politics chat to be joyful and patriotic, wear the colors, bring your flags, etc. People really enjoyed receiving them! I handed out 50 to a group of 258 protesters!
That is so wonderful!!!
Eastern Washington represented, too, and that's no small commitment to make in Matt Shea country.
I got a baseball hat beautifully embroidered with a flag for just this reason. Was glad to see lots of flags, big and small, worn and waved, at the march in Stamford, CT.
Even in the relatively quiet, conservative Tri-Valley area including Dublin, CA our Indivisible Team organized a super successful rally yesterday! We had political theatre, a speech from a Vietnam Vet, wonderful music and singing, and a human chain that stretched for a mild on both sides of the street! There were 1300 registered attendees but a crowd of close to 3000 came and the day was entirely peaceful! The hundreds of cars passing by participated joyfully by chanting and honking horns as they passed!!! Beautiful
Thank you for all of these photos and that inspiring amazing video from Chasta MN. I was at Seal Beach CA, a town of a little over 24,000 in Orange (aptly named) County. What a turnout!! It was so terrific.
Thank you so much for this. It's so inspiring and hopeful. Our hearts in Minnesota are heavy, but I am so proud of the state for showing up. (Get it, Chaska!) I haven't heard any calls for the GOP to condemn violence/turn down their rhetoric (unlike with the Dems after the assassination attempt on Trump), and I'm grateful to Art B for making that a part of his call. This should be front page news for days, but I fear without the same noise machine, it won't be.
Some friends bought us tickets to the afternoon Lynx game yesterday so I couldn't go to the protests, but there was a moment of silence for Rep. Hortman before the game. When the announcer said, "Thank you," afterwards, someone immediately shouted, "NO KINGS MOTHERFUCKER," and the whole place cheered.
So say we all.
There is a Go Fund Me for Rep Hoffman and his wife (run by the PTO of the school where Yvette Hoffman works) if anyone is interested: https://gofund.me/c171bc16