'No Kings' protests planned across Bay Area, nationwide Saturday amid concerns Trump will send National Guard to San Francisco
Across the Bay Area and nation, millions of Americans are planning to hold another "No Kings Day" protest on Saturday.
These demonstrations come as there are growing concerns of President Donald Trump deploying the National Guard to San Francisco and other cities.
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California sued the Trump Administration over its deployment of the Guard to Los Angeles during ICE protests back in June, and Thursday at an unrelated press conference, Governor Gavin Newsom told reporters he believes the president is illegally trying to use federal troops as his personal police force.
Newsom said, "His latest assertion that he was going to come to San Francisco. On what basis? He didn't even claim, there's no pretext anymore. Let's disabuse ourselves that there has to be a pretext with Donald Trump, that there's anything that would justify that there's no existing protest in a federal building, there's no operation that's being impeded. I guess it's just a training ground for the president of the United States. It is grossly illegal. It's immoral. It's rather delusional."
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There are three different "No Kings" gatherings planned in San Francisco and dozens more across the Bay Area Saturday.
There was a massive turnout from past No Kings protests here this summer.
Republican leaders have slammed the demonstrations as anti-American, with House Speaker Mike Johnson calling it the "hate America rally."
Organizers are expecting thousands at the downtown San Francisco one alone and say their intention is to peacefully push back against the White House.
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Dianne McClure, VP of National Nurses United, says, "We do not believe in one person or one group of people, such as billionaires controlling our country. That's not what our nation was built upon. To threaten sending in the National Guard or any anything of that matter, that's that just means that we're effective in our organizing for our event."
A spokesperson for SFPD says the city has a long tradition of First Amendment expression that officers will facilitate, while also having resources ready in case issues arise to ensure public safety.
The president's calls for sending in the National Guard to San Francisco did not appear to be directly related to these protests, but it's worth noting there will be troops at Saturday's protests in other states, including Texas where its governor is deploying members of the Guard to Austin.
You can find all the planned protests in the Bay Area and across the country on the No Kings website here .
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