Gov. Greg Abbott has again ordered state troopers and Texas National Guard soldiers to Austin ahead of the protest, calling the planned demonstrations "Antifa-linked" despite their sponsorship by groups like the ACLU, League of Women Voters and Sierra Club.

Protesters flooded into streets chanting, marching and waving homemade signs. Organizers said nearly 7 million people showed up for the demonstrations across the country.

Thousands of people gathered at the Texas Capitol on Saturday to participate in a “No Kings Day” protest, part of a nationwide movement to push back against policies linked to the Trump administration. Local organizers and representatives, including Democratic Reps. Greg Casar and Lloyd Doggett of Austin, spoke at the Capitol.

More than 2,700 “No Kings” rallies were due to be held in all 50 states in what is thought to be the largest mobilization against the Trump Administration over the president's two terms.

Oct. 19, 2025 Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks at ‘No Kings’ rally in D.C. © 2025 NBCUniversal Media, LLC

As many as 100,000 were expected to demonstrate in Los Angeles on Saturday as the second round of "No Kings" protests took place across the nation.

The latest episode of "Saturday Night Live" featured President Trump declaring the No Kings protests are actually a celebration of George Santos.

Trump spoke at a $1 million-per-plate MAGA fundraiser Oct. 17, 2025, at Mar-a-Lago in Florida. No Kings protests are Saturday, Oct 18, 2025, nationwide