As President Donald Trump’s administration prepares a grand and patriotic 250th anniversary celebration for the U.S. Army, George Soros-funded progressive activists are plotting a meticulously organized counterprotest to politicize the military milestone.
The White House has stated that the Grand Military Parade scheduled for June 14 in Washington, D.C., aims to “celebrate the legacy of the Army and express our deepest gratitude to those who have served and continue to serve in its ranks.”
‘That AFL-CIO is openly involved in sponsoring the No Kings rally should raise extreme concerns as to the rally’s true purpose.’
“For 250 years, the U.S. Army has defended our nation, upheld the ideals of freedom and democracy, and served with courage at home and abroad. From the Revolutionary War to today, the Army’s soldiers have embodied duty, honor, and sacrifice, ensuring the security of the United States and its people,” the administration’s America 250 website reads.
Despite this tribute to military service and national unity, progressive activists backed by wealthy donors and taxpayer-funded groups are orchestrating a nationwide protest to overshadow the Army’s milestone with an anti-Trump agenda.
White House prepares for U.S. Army 250th anniversary parade. Photo by Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images
Progressive protests target Army’s anniversary
The Indivisible Project, a progressive organization formed in 2016 to counter Trump, and its “pro-democracy partner organizations” announced in early May a nationwide effort to protest the Army’s parade.
With thousands of events registered across the U.S., the demonstration, dubbed the “No Kings Nationwide Day of Defiance,” aims to steal the spotlight from the historic celebration by mobilizing against “corrupt, authoritarian politics.”
The No Kings movement has framed the patriotic event as Trump’s “self-aggrandizing $100 million birthday celebration,” claiming the president is attempting to use the parade to flex his authoritarian power on the world stage.
However, that framing is misleading, as the parade’s date coincides with multiple events: Trump’s 79th birthday, the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary, and Flag Day.
When asked about the No Kings protests, Trump responded, “I don’t feel like a king. I have to go through hell to get stuff approved.”
The No Kings movement has used alarmism to rally progressives against Trump, spreading unsubstantiated allegations that his administration is guilty of grave abuses, including suppressing free speech, detaining political opponents, threatening to deport American citizens, defying the court, and “disappear[ing] people off the streets.”
“President Trump has already indicated that he’s aiming for at least a third term,” a No Kings host toolkit reads.
The No Kings movement is mobilizing its base with an exaggerated narrative that casts Trump as a menacing authoritarian dictator wielding unchecked power, painting him as a threat that demands urgent action to halt his perceived tyranny.
‘All people who show up with guns are not going to be our enemies, and everybody who shows up with one is not going to be at an elevated risk for using their weapon.’
Beyond portraying the military parade as Trump’s personal birthday celebration, No Kings is strategically avoiding staging protests in the D.C. area, instead hoping to draw attention away from the parade’s venue.
Reclaiming the American flag is key for the movement to succeed in counterprogramming the Army’s anniversary event. Those participating in the protests were encouraged to bring the American flag to “reclaim this symbol and remind the world that the freedom we stand for is freedom for all.”
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U.S. Army soldiers prepare for military parade. Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Who’s behind the No Kings protest?
The massive coordinated effort further fuels concerns that the recent protests, including those that led to destructive and violent riots in Los Angeles, are funded by activist organizations and left-wing groups with deep pockets.
While Indivisible Project claims it is a “grassroots” movement, advertising the No Kings protests as a “march against authoritarian politics and billionaire takeover,” it relies on vast sums from left-leaning tycoons notorious for manipulating elections and movements. These considerable grants and donations enable it to organize the large-scale and synchronized rally while disguising its elite-driven agenda as a people-powered revolt.
Indivisible Project’s most recent tax filings reveal that the group reported $12.6 million in revenue in 2023. Indivisible Civics, another 501(c)(3) under Indivisible’s mission, reported $5.1 million in revenue in 2023. Combined, the two organizations have over $11 million in assets.
Further shattering Indivisible’s “grassroots” claims, George Soros’ Open Society Foundations has heavily funded the group, providing $7.2 million in grants since 2018, including $3 million in 2023.
DataRepublican has also linked No Kings’ funding to the ACLU and its various local chapters.
Likewise, several local branches of the AFL-CIO, a massive labor union, sponsored the No Kings rallies, including in Minnesota, where Governor Tim Walz is slated to speak, and Kentucky. The AFL-CIO has received millions of dollars in taxpayer funds yearly. The AFL-CIO’s Solidarity Center reported receiving $69 million in federal grants in 2023 and another $59 million in 2022.
“AFL-CIO is one of the key taxpayer-funded organizations in effecting regime change all over the world,” DataRepublican warned. “That AFL-CIO is openly involved in sponsoring the No Kings rally should raise extreme concerns as to the rally’s true purpose.”
No Kings’ reliance on billionaire backers exposes its hypocrisy, crusading against elite control while embodying the wealth-driven influence it claims to oppose.
RELATED: Billionaire Walmart heiress funds anti-Trump chaos, backs radical ‘No Kings’ protests
Photo by Paul Weaver/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Meticulous planning and endless resources
Since announcing the protests on May 6, in just over one month, the Indivisible Project and its partners have put together a highly structured plan for the demonstrations, including hosting regularly scheduled virtual meetings with volunteer protesters leading up to the rallies, assigning individuals to take on specific roles during the demonstrations, and providing numerous training and media assets.
Those who signed up to partake in the protests, particularly those volunteering to lead in any capacity, are provided with links to “Know Your Rights Training” hosted by the American Civil Liberties Union, “Safety and Deescalation Training,” “Media and Messaging Training,” and a 32-page “Peacekeeper Training Workbook.”
Protest “hosts” are also provided with an 18-page “toolkit” and a help hotline available 12 hours a day from June 11 through June 14.
A No Kings team reviews and approves each scheduled event within 48 to 72 hours of the initial request. The group anticipates over 2,000 protests across the nation with millions of attendees.
Protesters are assigned to detailed roles for the demonstrations — acting as hosts, safety leads, police liaisons, peacekeepers, and media speakers — and provided coaching on how to show up to the event and respond to various situations.
No Kings’ virtual training meetings revealed a sophisticated level of organization.
During a No Kings’ “Host Update Call + Marshals Training” meeting on Wednesday evening, organizers provided de-escalation role-play scenarios to teach protesters how to handle hecklers, counterprotesters, and even “somebody on our side” who may try to “incite violent action” by bringing “paint balloons or rocks so that they can encourage other people to throw things.”
The presenters also discussed the possibility of protesters and counterprotesters bringing firearms to the demonstrations in open-carry states.
“In an open carry state, you’re going to have to really watch how people are showing up. Are they aggravated? Are they wearing a T-shirt that says ‘Indivisible’ on it? It’s going to be subjective,” Nadine Bloch, an executive training conductor with Beautiful Trouble, stated on the training call. “All people who show up with guns are not going to be our enemies, and everybody who shows up with one is not going to be at an elevated risk for using their weapon.”
‘Peaceful protests are part of the fabric of our nation, but Texas will not tolerate the lawlessness we have seen in Los Angeles in response to President Donald Trump’s enforcement of immigration law.’
Also during the training call, Stephen Piggott with Princeton University’s Bridging Divides Initiative addressed the potential for the presence of counterprotesters.
“We want to emphasize that recent anti-administration protests have remained peaceful, with only isolated incidents of conflict and minimal counterprotester activity. We looked at data from the two most recent nationwide protest days, May Day and the April 5 Hands Off protests. And we found that 99% of these protests — so 1,029 out of the 1,031 — saw no reports of violence or destruction,” Piggott stated.
“Only about 4% of those protests — so about 36 of them — actually involved counterdemonstrations or counterprotests,” he continued.
He claimed this year’s protests have been “very peaceful” with “really not a whole lot of counterdemonstration activity.”
Piggott further noted that “actors of concern,” such as the Proud Boys and militia groups, have had decreased “offline activity” compared to last year. However, he noted such actors are “paying a bit more attention to the No Kings protest” following the “events in L.A. over the past week.”
“What we are not seeing at all is widespread calls from actors of concern to mobilize in response to this weekend,” he added.
Although the No Kings movement condemns violence, their training on managing “instigators” reveals organizers’ concerns about disruptions from their own supporters, not conservative “actors of concern,” who, as Piggott noted, are less likely to mobilize.
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Riots in Los Angeles on June 8, 2025. Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images
Response
Legacy media outlets have bolstered No Kings’ narrative, depicting the Army’s 250th anniversary parade as Trump’s authoritarian birthday spectacle and sidelining its patriotic ties to military history and Flag Day.
Following destructive anti-immigration enforcement riots in Los Angeles last week, which saw widespread property damage and arrests, No Kings’ timing and the media’s amplification of the movement’s narrative raise fears of similar escalation.
‘If any person assaults a federal law enforcement officer, they risk being prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.’
While the No Kings organizers have repeatedly condemned violence and rioting, others are convinced the gathering, particularly given the large scale of demonstrations, will devolve into lawlessness, raising questions about how Indivisible and its partner organizations plan to prevent such chaos at all of their events.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) is one of the many who believe the demonstrations could result in destruction and violence similar to that which occurred in Los Angeles.
In preparation for the mass gatherings, Abbott announced earlier this week that he would deploy Texas National Guard troops to specific locations in the state to “ensure peace and order.”
On Thursday, Abbott deployed over 5,000 Texas National Guard troops and 2,000 state police to prevent potential unrest, following clashes between protesters and law enforcement in Austin and Dallas earlier this week that led to roughly a dozen arrests.
“Peaceful protests are part of the fabric of our nation, but Texas will not tolerate the lawlessness we have seen in Los Angeles in response to President Donald Trump’s enforcement of immigration law,” Abbott declared. “Anyone engaging in acts of violence or damaging property will be arrested and held accountable to the full extent of the law.”
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesperson told Blaze News, “ICE respects the constitutional right of people to peacefully protest; however, assaulting, resisting, impeding, or harassing ICE officers and special agents or interfering in any way as they are executing their official duty is against the law. If any person assaults a federal law enforcement officer, they risk being prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Blaze News senior politics editor Christopher Bedford revealed the broader progressive tactic.
“Everything you’re seeing now — from the senator from California lunging through agents at the Secretary of Homeland Security, the rioting in Los Angeles, or the congresswoman assaulting a police officer in New Jersey — all of these things are intentional provocations in the hopes of setting something off and triggering an overreaction because they can’t get their own grassroots motivated,” Bedford stated.
No Kings, the Indivisible Project, the AFL-CIO, and the ACLU did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.
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News, U.s. army, Us army, Donald trump, Trump, Trump administration, Trump admin, Anti-trump protests, No kings, No kings mass protest, No kings protest, Indivisible project, George soros, Open society foundations, Military, Aclu, Los angeles riots, Los angeles protests, Immigration, Flag day, Greg abbott, Afl-cio, Hands off protests, Politics