What's the No Kings strategy now?

Building on a stunning, history-making achievement

EDITOR’S NOTE: Because of its widespread relevance, I’m sharing this post here on Substack and on my weekly obrienonmessage.com email newsletter on nonprofit messaging. Apologies for double posting to those who subscribe on both platforms.

Wow! Saturday’s No Kings Day was a stunning success. It was the largest U.S. mass mobilization in 25 years and, just as crucial, it conveyed a spirit and energy that are desperately needed in the struggle over our country’s future.

Here’s how a post-event message from the organization Indivisible described the impact.

“Protests serve many purposes -- they change the narrative, they grow our movement, they show people reeling under the weight of the regime’s atrocities that they are not alone.”

That same message also carried this vital reminder:

“But a single day of protest -- even the largest single-day protest we’ve seen in our lifetimes -- will not overcome the fascist onslaught we face.”

Today, in the afterglow of an historic No Kings event, let’s examine some of the biggest strategic and messaging challenges facing the No Kings movement and the broader opposition to Donald Trump 2.0 as 2026 approaches.

Here are six of the most critical questions facing progressives and Democrats as we confront the impact of a vigorous, fast-moving, no-holds-barred Trump presidency.

#1: How does it all come together?

From No Kings protests to local ICE protests, from Democratic strategies in Congress to 2026 candidate campaigns, every actor involved in challenging the Trump assault doesn’t have to address the full picture.

But somehow, a clear approach has to come together. And one of the biggest challenges facing the Trump opposition is this: We have to make sure a smart, cohesive strategy emerges from multiple angles and without any clear individual leader of the opposition.

#2: Can the overall opposition to Trump create and maintain a two-track audience strategy?

I’ve written about this before. The No Kings movement clearly operates in the straightforward anti-Trump side of opposition to Trump. But, overall, the path to a sustainable push back against Trump lies in pursuing very different strategies aimed at two key audiences. For the Democratic base (and the parallel No Kings support base), it’s all about directly taking on Trump and his far-reaching MAGA agenda.

But the same isn’t true of swing working class voters – the voters who will decide many key 2026 races. They aren’t looking for another Trump referendum. They’re looking for politicians with an agenda that finally puts their day to day concerns front and center. That means zeroing in on issues like health care and affordability on housing and groceries and not a single-minded anti-Trump focus.

It’s not all in the No Kings lane, but only an overall messaging strategy that speaks directly to the concerns of both audiences can produce convincing 2026 victories. We have to get our heads around the irony that to defeat Trump and lay compelling groundwork for 2028, we can’t make 2028 all about him.

#3: Are massive, one-day mobilizations every few months wise and sustainable?

As brilliant and successful as the first two No Kings Days have been, it’s reasonable to assume that ongoing periodic repetitions of the tactic could produce diminishing returns. Of course, No Kings organizers see the big events as not justy an end in themselves, but springboards for more focused and sustained organizing by participants. The success of that pivot is more of an open question than the undisputed impact of the history-making events themselves.

#4: Is there an electoral role in the No Kings movement’s future?

Part of the genius of the No Kings umbrella is its inclusiveness. If you believe in peaceful opposition to Donald Trump’s attempt to act like a king, you belong. It’s hard to see how that broad reach could survive the movement wading into individual elections and candidate support.

But it’s entirely possible to see the movement focusing its messaging and organizing skills on voter mobilization and a massive No Kings-branded GOTV operation. It’s a focus that can keep No Kings in the mix even as more and more attention turns to the midterms. Without a pivot like this when next November gets closer, organizing big thematic national protests could be seen as a distraction from the hard local work of winning elections.

#5: Can No Kings exert more pressure on institutions to stop yielding to authoritarians?

Mass mobilizations are a key element in confronting authoritarian threats. So are efforts to make sure the core institutions of our country don’t yield authoritarian demands or obey them in advance. With important exceptions, we’ve seen too many universities, media outlets and major corporations fail that test.

But episodes like Disney quickly backing down from the Jimmy Kimmel suspension demonstrate that public pressure can stiffen the spine of institutions inclined to yield to pressure. Creating that kind of pressure is something that many of the groups in the No Kings coalition already do. But, in marketing terms, the No Kings movement has created a powerful brand. And using that brand to advance pressure campaigns can be a powerful tactic.

#6: Can No Kings keep harnessing the cultural element of opposition to Trump and his agenda?

No Kings operates at the nexus of politics and culture. And as efforts like Gavin Newsom’s expert trolling of Donald Trump make clear, culture can play a powerful role in shaping political battles. This is yet another place where the powerful positioning of the No Kings brand can be deployed to advance resistance to the most extreme actions of the no-holds-barred Trump administration.

Conclusion

The No Kings movement has achieved a great deal in a few short months. It’s done so by building on the experience and skills of the groups in the coalition. Sustaining that momentum will depend not just on repeating past successes on a grander scale, but on creating a narrative that moves forward and keeps pace with a shifting landscape in the 2026 election year.