With more than seven million participants at over 2,600 rallies in all 50 states, Saturday's 'No Kings' Protest was the largest in American history.
In Macomb, more than 500 gathered around Chandler Park and the Carper Amtrak Station to make their voices heard. Five supporters for Trump administration appeared to voice their support for the current president amidst the rally chants, signs and rally cries at the 'No Kings' event.
'Thank you everyone who came, as well as those who drove by showing your support. The No Kings rally was a bigger success than we ever imagined,' noted the McDonough County Democratic Central Committee on its Facebook page. 'We had 500 people peacefully, joyfully protesting. The passing traffic was wildly enthusiastic. We couldn’t do it without Indivisible, the coalition and others. There were five counter protesters and there were no clashes. Let's keep the momentum going!'
According to the Associated Press (AP), large crowds of protesters decried what participants see as the government's swift drift into authoritarianism under President Donald Trump. The AP reported that Trump's Republican Party disparaged the demonstrations as 'Hate America' rallies, but in many places the events looked more like a street party. (Associated Press, Oct. 18, 2025).
The official 'No Kings' website (nokings.org/#map) showed more than 70 Illinois communities, including Macomb, Galesburg, Peoria and Quincy in the central Illinois region, taking part in Saturday's protest. A core principle behind all 'No Kings' events is a commitment to nonviolent action, according to the organization's website. 'No Kings' rallies were also held in at least 20 countries outside the United States.
The McDonough County Democratic Central Committee will host rallies in Chandler Park every Saturday from noon-1 p.m.
Submitted photos
