WASHINGTON, D.C. – Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders emerged from the massive “No Kings” rallies on October 18 as a defiant voice of the resistance, proclaiming the nationwide demonstrations a turning point in the battle against President Donald Trump’s MAGA movement. Addressing thousands on Pennsylvania Avenue amid the largest day of protests in U.S. history—drawing an estimated 7 million across all 50 states—Sanders declared the events had made “great strides” toward defeating “this fascist threat once and for all.”
“This moment is not just about one man’s greed, corruption, or contempt for the Constitution,” Sanders thundered, his voice cutting through chants and cheers. He singled out tech titans Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Mark Zuckerberg as “multibillionaires who sat right behind Trump at his inauguration,” accusing them of bankrolling a power grab that endangers democracy. The rallies, organized by over 200 groups including Indivisible and MoveOn, targeted Trump’s policies—from 515,000 deportations and $10 billion in fines spurring 1.6 million self-removals to the shutdown furloughing 800,000 workers. Sanders framed the turnout—surpassing June’s 5 million—as a unified roar: “We the people will rule.”
The Vermont independent, who caucuses with Democrats, wove history into his call to arms, invoking the founders’ censure of King George for abuses mirroring Trump’s. “Our ancestors had had enough—they declared independence from a king,” he said, urging sustained action against what he called the “worst legislation in modern history,” the One Big Beautiful Bill. From D.C.’s throngs to San Francisco’s human chains on Ocean Beach, protesters echoed his fire: Chicago’s Brandon Johnson vowed no submission, while Connecticut’s Chris Murphy labeled Trump “the most corrupt president ever.”
Republicans dismissed the spectacle as “Hate America rallies,” with House Speaker Mike Johnson tying it to Schumer’s 51-46 Senate blockade prolonging the shutdown. Yet Sanders, undeterred, sees momentum: “America can defeat this fascist threat.” As a “red tsunami” brews for 2026 and gas prices dip toward $3 per gallon, the senator’s words signal no retreat—protests as prelude to power. For the left, bruised by 2024, it’s not defeat—it’s defiance, strides toward a reckoning.
