Manhattan “No Kings” Rally Protests Trump, War, ICE & More
The third round of “No Kings” protests brought hundreds of thousands of protestors to Manhattan, calling out the policies of President Trump. The massive protest lasted over four hours with a line of march that stretched for more than a mile up 7th Avenue at its peak.
| 01 Apr 2026 | 09:46
Handwritten signs proclaiming “No Ice” and “No Kings” were in abundance, as were American flags, some flying upside down in a symbol of international distress. (
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The third national “No Kings” demonstration drew hundreds of thousands of demonstrators in Manhattan. The crowd was larger and had more younger demonstrators than past demonstrations. (
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One young protestor at the “No Kings” demonstration in Manhattan on March 28 flashes a peace sign, a throwback to the street demonstrations against the Vietnam War in the late 1960s and early 1970s. (
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At its peak, a peaceful protest stretched for more than a mile down Seventh Avenue on March 28. The war in Iran appeared to swell ranks of protestors. (
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Some banners in Manhattan on March 28 sported slogans expressing international solidarity to the “No Kings” movement. (
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Political leaders such as NYS Attorney General Letitia James (front row, fourth from left) were joined by actor Robert DeNiro (second from right) and the Rev. Al Sharpton (far right) at the demonstration on March 28. (
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Marching behind a light green banner that read “We Protest Our Democracy” were (from left) public advocate Jumaane Williams, NYS Attorney General Letitia James, actor Robert De Niro and the Rev. Al Sharpton. (
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A sign from an earlier protest, “People over Billionaires,” returns for another run in the latest “No Kings” demonstration yet in Manhattan on March 29. (
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Thousands of protesters railed against President Donald Trump, marching down 7th Avenue in Manhattan for over four hours on March 28 in the third “No Kings” day protest.
Protestors chanted and carried signs proclaiming “No War, No Throne, No Kings” and “Ice Out of NYC” in a line that stretched over a mile from Central Park South to 34th Street.
NYS Attorney General Letitia James and NYC Public Advocate Jumaane Williams teamed up with actor Robert De Niro and activist Rev. Al Sharpton, marching behind a banner that read, “We protect our democracy.”
Straus News also spotted Michael Cohen, a one-time Trump ally turned critic. Cohen served as Trump’s lawyer from 2006 to 2018 before he was charged with several felonies following an FBI raid on his Manhattan home and office. In 2019, Cohen sued Trump over unpaid legal and court fees and has continued to speak out against the president since then. While he recorded the rally from the sidewalk, he greeted those who recognized him and expressed his amazement at the size of the crowd.
“I wanted to see where New York was at, where America is at, and I think 400,000 people are making a very strong statement at this moment in time,” Cohen said to Straus News, referring to organizers’ estimates of the city’s protest.
This statement was both apparent figuratively and literally, carried on the thousands of painted, handwritten, and printed signs as the demonstrators marched towards 34th Street. Other protestors held wooden spoons, a giant banner of the U.S. Constitution, and American flags, some upside down in a symbol of international distress. Several protestors carried their children on their shoulders, an image of a slowly shifting demographic of the age of the attendees, which appeared to have a greater percentage of young protestors than in past demonstrations.
Many of the demonstrators said they had marched in the previous “No Kings” demonstrations, but the ranks were swelled by people turning out for the first time. Taylor Smith, one of those attending her first “No Kings” protest, said she was joining the rally with her boyfriend and his family.
“You can only do so much behind a screen,” Smith said. “Actually getting out in person means so much more.”
Some protesters traveled from other cities and states to be a part of Manhattan’s march. One protester, Elizabeth, came into the city from Connecticut. After marching in the previous two rallies there, her friends insisted on coming to Manhattan.
“It really is so energizing and exciting to be around so many people who are calm and walking,” Elizabeth said. “We’re all in the same boat.”
At times, the influx of people reduced the speed of the march to a standstill. On one block, a protestor held up a sign that said, “You know it’s bad when New Yorkers are walking this slow.”
By 4 p.m., the listed end time for the Manhattan march on the “No Kings” website, the tail of the crowd was still backed up to 50th Street. At 6 p.m., the NYPD announced the protests had dispersed, and traffic closures had been lifted. Police reported the demonstrations across all five boroughs closed city streets but were peaceful with zero arrests. In Los Angeles, more than 70 people were arrested, and police fired tear gas and pepper balls into a crowd that failed to disperse.
The Trump administration dismissed the demonstrations, with one White House spokesperson addressing the protests as “Trump Derangement Therapy Sessions.”
Since the second “No Kings” rally in October last year, much has changed, including the Congressionally-mandated release of the Epstein files, the killing of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by ICE agents in Minneapolis as part of the Trump administration’s immigrant crackdown, and the start of the Iran War in late February.
Organizers claimed more than 8 million people turned up at over 3,300 events in all 50 states and several cities abroad. With this estimation, organizers said it was the largest single day of demonstrations in U.S. history.