They came armed with their wit and, pieces of cardboard: US protesters used “No Kings” parades on Saturday to mock US President Donald Trump with some inventive signs.
“Go to therapy Donald. Authoritarianism is not self-care,” read one placard in front of the federal building in Los Angeles, the focus of more than a week of protests over a Trump-ordered crackdown on immigration.
“Trump has a mugshot, my father does not,” said one sign, a reference to Trump’s 2023 arrest in Georgia that produced one of the most famous police photographs in the world.
One man in a suit stood in front of uniformed soldiers deployed by the president, wearing a big smile and carrying a sign that said: “You’re taking orders from a draft dodger.”
In New York, a protester held a board referencing Trump’s infamous election debate claims — widely debunked — that migrants were consuming people’s pets.
“They’re eating the checks. They’re eating the balances,” it said.
In Denver, a sign said: “Elect a clown, expect a circus,” while back in Los Angeles others picked up the theme: “No crown for the clown.”
In a city with a vibrant LGBTQ scene, there was no shortage of references to the community.
“Yaas queens! No kings,” said one sign.
Other slogans were very specific to the sprawling metropolis.
“In LA, only Kobe is King,” read one placard carried by a man wearing a Los Angeles Lakers kit, in homage to legendary guard Kobe Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash in 2020.
“The only ICE I want is in my matcha” and “ICE melts in California,” said others, taking aim at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers whose raids on workplaces and farms sparked anger.
Some signs referenced what they claimed was creeping “fascism” in the United States, with at least one photo of Trump doctored with a mustache to make him look like Adolf Hitler.
“Anne Frank wrote about this in her diary,” said one sign, a reference to the young Jewish girl who fled the Nazis and kept a journal of her life in hiding.
“America, you in danger girl,” said another.
Throughout the nation there were references to the United States’ birth as a republic, one that threw off the absolute power of the British monarchy almost 250 years ago.
But demonstrators said they did not get rid of one king to replace him with another.
“No faux-king way,” said one sign.
In tiny Nome, Alaska, home to fewer than 4,000 people, a small demo was one of thousands taking place across the country.
“The only king Alaskans want is king salmon,” said one demonstrator’s sign, according to pictures published on the website of the local Nome Nugget newspaper.
Some protesters opted for the pithy.
“NOPE,” said one sign, the letter “E” replaced by a sideways crown.
“That’s enough,” said another.
“I’m not usually a sign person, but GEEZ…” said one.
