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... By most accounts, the turnout at Saturday's events - in major US cities like Chicago, New York, Washington and Los Angeles, as well as hundreds of smaller towns " was higher than expected and surpassed the first "No Kings" rally in June.

Congressional Republicans had warned that the demonstrations would be "anti-American", and some conservative governors had put their law enforcement and National Guard on alert in case of violence.

The massive rallies turned out to be peaceful " a carnival, not carnage. In New York City, there were no protest-related arrests, and the gathering in Washington DC featured families and young children.
LightRocket via Getty Images protesters holding up signs at No Kings protest in DC as banner of Trump hanging from government building looms aboveLightRocket via Getty Images
Protesters took to the streets across the country, including in the nation's capital

"Today all across America in numbers that may eclipse any day of protest in our nation's history, Americans are saying loudly and proudly that we are a free people, we are not a people that can be ruled, our government is not for sale," Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut said in his speech to the Washington DC rally.

Just down the street from the No Kings gathering in the nation's capital, the White House responded to the protests with derision.

"Who cares," deputy press secretary Abigail Jackson wrote in response to multiple media inquiries about the marches.

Trump shared several AI-generated videos on his Truth Social website of him wearing a crown, including one where he was flying a jet that dumped what appeared to be human waste on the protesters.

While Republicans may be downplaying the significance of the marches, the scale of the turnout " along with Trump's net negative approval rating in major opinion polls - hints at a Democratic opportunity to rebound from last year's electoral defeats.

The party still has a long way to go, however. ...