Storm Clouds Gather as Thousands March to Rain on Trump’s Birthday Parade

By Bob Cooley

On June 14, while Donald Trump marked his 79th birthday in Washington with a military parade costing upwards of $45 million, tens of thousands of New Yorkers walked through steady rain to protest what they described as creeping authoritarianism and abuse of power.

The No Kings march began in Bryant Park and ended at Madison Square Park, with chants like “No crown for a criminal” and “Democracy, not dynasty” echoing off wet umbrellas and police barricades. According to organizers, the event was one of over 2,100 held across the country, with turnout reportedly exceeding five million nationwide.

“This isn’t just about Trump,” said David Van Taylor, 62, a filmmaker from Brooklyn who came with friends. He described the protest as opposition to the normalization of executive overreach and the way people have become used to it.

Though the Manhattan demonstration was orderly and the weather was bad enough to thin out some foot traffic, estimates still placed the local turnout around 50,000. Marchers included union members, housing advocates, environmental groups, immigrant justice coalitions, and a sizeable contingent of local artists. Many carried vibrant signs, with slogans like “People Over Billionaires” prominently displayed on large yellow banners, and others reading “No Kings” on humorous and unflattering depictions of Donald Trump. One creative sign humorously stated, “If I wanted a king, I’d play chess,” while another declared, “Hands Off Our Safety Net,” reflecting the diverse concerns of the crowd.

Actor and activist Mark Ruffalo addressed the crowd before the march got underway. His speech pulled no punches.

“Sadly, today Donald Trump and the administration of billionaires, crackpots, and ICE brigades have taken over,” Ruffalo said. “We have a king and his court and his beige henchmen, and they are trampling on our rights, laws, and freedoms, making themselves richer with taxpayer dollars and making us less safe with their love of other kings and dictators and the likes of Putin and Netanyahu and Kim Jong Un.”

Nearby, Lisa Doula, 53, from Jersey City, said she was there because “People are getting picked up by masked, unidentified law enforcement. And possibly deported. I need to be doing something, and this is it.”

The timing of the protest was not incidental. Trump’s parade in D.C., billed as a tribute to the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army, also included thousands of uniformed personnel, low-altitude military flyovers, and several armored vehicles staged along the National Mall. The visual language recalled grand military parades often associated with authoritarian regimes, a stark departure from the historical restraint even conservative presidents exercised in avoiding such ostentatious spectacles.

Several other cities saw similar scenes. It rained through much of the Northeast that day, with umbrellas visible at marches in Philadelphia, D.C., and New Haven. While some events in the Midwest and Southwest drew large crowds under clearer skies, weather did not seem to deter attendance in the soggier zones.

“I feel slightly afraid,” one protester told a nearby reporter for The Cut. “I do not want to be afraid to exercise my freedom to be here on the streets.”

The march concluded peacefully at Madison Square Park, where the crowd dispersed into the drizzly New York afternoon.