Gov. Greg Abbott has again ordered state troopers and Texas National Guard soldiers to Austin ahead of the protest, calling the planned demonstrations "Antifa-linked" despite their sponsorship by groups like the ACLU, League of Women Voters and Sierra Club.

Thousands of people gathered at the Texas Capitol on Saturday to participate in a “No Kings Day” protest, part of a nationwide movement to push back against policies linked to the Trump administration. Local organizers and representatives, including Democratic Reps. Greg Casar and Lloyd Doggett of Austin, spoke at the Capitol.

In all, more than 2,500 demonstrations took place nationwide in the largest mobilization of protests since President Trump returned to office.

Austin Mayor Kirk Watson is pushing back on Gov. Greg Abbott's deployment of the Texas National Guard and state troops to the city in what he calls a move of militarization—confirming troops will not be in the streets unless needed.

As many as 100,000 were expected to demonstrate in Los Angeles on Saturday as the second round of "No Kings" protests took place across the nation.

Trump spoke at a $1 million-per-plate MAGA fundraiser Oct. 17, 2025, at Mar-a-Lago in Florida. No Kings protests are Saturday, Oct 18, 2025, nationwide

Anti-Trump rallies kick off in UK, Spain, Germany and Sweden before millions set to march in US - The president insisted he was ‘not a king’ on Friday, one day before demonstrators in 2,500 locations

More than 1,000 protesters turned out in downtown Augusta on Oct. 18, 2025, to protest President Donald Trump.