Demonstrations swept across U.S. cities on Saturday in the third wave of "No Kings" rallies, with tens of thousands voicing anger over foreign wars and immigration enforcement.
In Los Angeles, protesters filled downtown streets, denouncing the administration's policies and demanding accountability after joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Tehran and other Iranian cities.
Organizers said more than 3,100 rallies erupted across major cities including Washington, New York, Boston, Los Angeles and San Francisco, with U.S. reports estimating 900,000 participants, the biggest single-day protest ever recorded.
Alyssa, a protester in Los Angeles, said she joined the march to highlight what she called a widespread rejection of government actions, describing the rallies as a channel for public dissent.
"I came here today because what's going on is really wrong and really evil. And this is one of the great ways to let people know that this is unacceptable and that a huge portion of the population is against everything that this regime is doing," she said.
Many demonstrators tied the protests directly to the strikes in Iran, saying the conflict had been imposed on the public as a distraction from domestic troubles.
"This is a war that nobody wanted, an illegal war, one that we were forced into by a wannabe fascist dictator in order to distract from the issues going on at home," Alyssa said.
Others pointed to confusion over U.S. objectives in the Middle East, saying the government lacked a clear strategy.
"It's hard to know what my country even thinks it's doing right now in the Middle East. I'm distraught and I mainly distraught for the Iranian people," said David, another protester.
Some compared the intervention to historic blunders, warning it risked becoming another Vietnam‑style quagmire of a costly conflict with no clear objectives and little public support.
"I'm absolutely disgusted with our government for getting involved in a war that we have no business being in. It's like another Vietnam with even less of a reason," said another protester Lucy.
Lucy believes that U.S. foreign policy has broken down entirely, leaving no coherent framework to guide decisions.
"No, not even a tiny bit. There is no foreign policy right now," Lucy said.
David added that current foreign policy appeared to be rooted in outdated corporate-style governance, rather than democratic decision-making.
"So currently, the US government foreign policy, it seems like it's really scattershot. And it seems to be based on a kind of outdated model of corporate governance. And that's not how governments, and that's not how people actually get things done. So no, the foreign policy right now seems to be about murky backroom deals. And that's not what democracy is," said David.
Others cited civilian casualties and loopholes used to justify military actions.
"As far as what the US does for policies, what loopholes they used to justify bombing a school for instance, there is no justification for that. So I don't understand the US policy when it comes to foreign wars. I don't understand it at all," said Jeremy, a protester.
Nate, another demonstrator, accused the government of hypocrisy and corruption.
"The USA government is nothing but a bunch of hypocrites. All there are about is money, power and protecting child predators," said Nate, another protester.
The protests underscored mounting public opposition to the administration's foreign policy, following joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Tehran and other Iranian cities on Feb. 28 that killed Iran's former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei along with senior commanders and civilians.
Mass "No Kings" protests sweep US cities as Middle East tension drags on
