Thousands in Portland and across the Pacific Northwest are expected to take part in the national ‘No Kings 2.0’ protests Saturday. It’s the third nationwide protest against President Donald Trump this year.
By OPB staff and Joni Auden Land
Thousands of people are expected to protest across the Pacific Northwest on Saturday during the “No Kings 2.0” protest. It’s the latest nationwide protest against President Donald Trump’s administration and will take place in more than 70 locations across Oregon.
The first No Kings protest took place in June and drew more than 50,000 protesters to downtown Portland alone, according to Mayor Keith Wilson’s office. City streets were filled with a sea of protesters and signs, as demonstrators marched across multiple Portland bridges.
No Kings II in the Rogue Valley
Medford, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 18, McAndrews Road from Crater Lake Avenue to Biddle Road
Grants Pass, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 18, Josephine County Courthouse
While an Ashland event listing on the No Kings website was taken down Wednesday afternoon, numerous social media posts point toward a robust presence of demonstrators on Ashland Plaza on Saturday.
Portland police said there were no arrests during that protest.
There was also a national “Hands Off” demonstration in April that saw thousands take to the streets in Portland and across the Pacific Northwest in protest of the “illegal, billionaire power grab” by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk.
The nationwide protests against the president have been largely organized by the progressive grassroots organizations 50501 Movement and Indivisible.
Now organizers say they’re protesting the influx of masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials in American cities and the deployment of National Guard members to protect federal property.
“President Trump has doubled down,” No Kings organizers wrote. “The president thinks his rule is absolute. But in America, we don’t have kings and we don’t back down against chaos, corruption and cruelty.”
Portland, in particular, has found itself in the national spotlight. Trump has attempted to deploy hundreds of National Guard members to the city, saying they’re necessary to protect the Portland ICE facility from violent demonstrators.
Local and state officials have said that Trump’s claims are false and that there’s no need for federal troops anywhere in Oregon.
A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order preventing any National Guard members from being deployed in Portland. The federal government has asked the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn the order. As of Friday, the court still had not issued a ruling.
There were large demonstrations around the ICE facility in the wake of the first No Kings protest, and they saw sporadic instances of violence between protesters and Portland police.
Since then, protests have been generally much smaller and mostly peaceful.
In a Friday press conference, Portland Police Assistant Chief Craig Dobson said he didn’t have an estimate on the crowd size, but expected it to remain peaceful.
“It’s billed as a family-friendly event, so we’re expecting it to be much like the ones that we’ve seen in the summer,” Dobson said. “We’re not anticipating any issues.”
Trump has also threatened troop deployments in such cities as Chicago, Memphis and San Francisco.
Reach Joni Auden Land, general assignment reporter with OPB, at jal@opb.org. This story first appeared on OPB.
Related stories:
Update: Organizer takes down Ashland No Kings II event notice, Medford ‘No Kings II’ rally still on track (Oct. 13, 2025)
Thousands protest against Trump at No Kings rally in Medford (June 15, 2025)
Picture This: Ashland joins in ‘No Kings’ protests (June 15, 2025)
