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BumRushDaShow

(172,710 posts)
Thu May 28, 2026, 12:00 PM 6 hrs ago

No Kings event set for 14 June, as Trump celebrates birthday with White House UFC bout

Source: The Guardian

Thu 28 May 2026 10.11 EDT
Last modified on Thu 28 May 2026 11.20 EDT


The No Kings movement has announced a nationwide event on 14 June, directly counter-programming Donald Trump’s 80th birthday celebrations and a Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) bout on the south lawn of the White House.

The centerpiece is a 90-minute concert at New York’s Town Hall featuring entertainer Bette Midler, songwriter Patti Smith, actor Jane Fonda, musician Rufus Wainwright and commentator Joy Reid – streaming free nationwide, while local groups host watch parties across the country. The event is co-presented by the Committee for the First Amendment, a coalition of artists and cultural figures, and frames the US’s 250th anniversary as a moment of democratic reckoning.

The plans put two very different visions for the occasion in direct competition. The US president is billing UFC Freedom 250 as a historic national celebration: a star-spangled octagon arena on the south lawn of the White House, with 4,000 ticketed guests, and a fan festival on the Ellipse expected to draw up to 100,000 people. The weigh-ins are reportedly set to take place at the Lincoln Memorial.

Trump has claimed that demand for tickets, for an event which will feature a title fight between the lightweight champion Ilia Topuria and the interim champion Justin Gaethje, has been unlike anything he has seen. The White House spokesperson Davis Ingle called it “one of the greatest and most historic sports events in history”.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/28/no-kings-concert-patti-smith-bette-midler

32 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
No Kings event set for 14 June, as Trump celebrates birthday with White House UFC bout (Original Post) BumRushDaShow 6 hrs ago OP
Oh I love it. underpants 6 hrs ago #1
not much more inspiring than a good old watch party - that'll show em! Blues Heron 6 hrs ago #2
Keeping up the morale of democracy supporters is essential wnylib 5 hrs ago #4
We need protests in Washington DC. This strategy of indivisible's of avoiding DC is pathetic Blues Heron 5 hrs ago #5
Nonsense. The goal of No Kings is peaceful solidarity building wnylib 5 hrs ago #6
They avoided it last year as a BOYCOTT of the sick show of War pageantry that was hijacked for a birthday BumRushDaShow 4 hrs ago #12
That was an idiotic missed opportunity. Blues Heron 3 hrs ago #21
No it wasn't and no it didn't BumRushDaShow 2 hrs ago #23
I mean last summer, you had had the entire DC region ready to protest, and then ... bupkis. Some went to Philly Blues Heron 2 hrs ago #24
But your argument was that after that FIRST event (that provided counter-programming to the fascist march) BumRushDaShow 2 hrs ago #25
Who is paying ALL the costs for this travesty birthday bash he's giving himself, and who gets any proceeds? Attilatheblond 5 hrs ago #3
Perfect timing! Snackshack 5 hrs ago #7
Kick and rec. Wednesdays 5 hrs ago #8
Trump says demand for tix to the UFC event is overwhelming. Maybe not. AverageOldGuy 4 hrs ago #9
In the end..... SergeStorms 1 hr ago #27
I'm in! Scrivener7 4 hrs ago #10
Great timing and I'll be there Grim Chieftain 4 hrs ago #11
"No 34 time convicted felons.... SergeStorms 1 hr ago #28
Excellent! Grim Chieftain 1 hr ago #30
Just make it straight up "No Dictators" day LiberalLovinLug 1 hr ago #29
Great idea Grim Chieftain 1 hr ago #31
really? johnnyfins 3 hrs ago #13
I will never watch a UFC fight mdbl 3 hrs ago #14
He never fights his own fights.... SergeStorms 3 hrs ago #16
which is why I never expect to see one. mdbl 3 hrs ago #18
That he's denigrating The Peoples' White House..... SergeStorms 3 hrs ago #15
Hope we have a No Kings event every month until the midterms. KS Toronado 3 hrs ago #17
Sign up to host a watch party in your town- James48 3 hrs ago #19
It's gonna be a bigger flop than his failed presidency. oasis 3 hrs ago #20
Yeah, so great, I heard Milli Vanilli was going to entertain Figarosmom 3 hrs ago #22
That circus will be a huge flop. As usual. Dave Bowman 2 hrs ago #26
The history of the past "biggest ever" protests... BigmanPigman 44 min ago #32

wnylib

(26,542 posts)
4. Keeping up the morale of democracy supporters is essential
Thu May 28, 2026, 12:15 PM
5 hrs ago

while dealing with a depressing regime.

Also a good way to make connections at local levels to get out the vote for local, state, and federal candidates. Meet candidates, decide on whom to donate to, sign up for volunteer activities like phone banking and house to house canvassing. Make local plans for election day monitoring.

There is much more to No Kings rallies than holding up a sign. They promote solidarity, mutual support, sharing of issues and ideas for solutions as well as local activism.

Blues Heron

(9,062 posts)
5. We need protests in Washington DC. This strategy of indivisible's of avoiding DC is pathetic
Thu May 28, 2026, 12:25 PM
5 hrs ago

It was absolutely moral-destroying last year when they let the birthday parade go completely unopposed. This is the same. Uninspiring, moral deadening.

wnylib

(26,542 posts)
6. Nonsense. The goal of No Kings is peaceful solidarity building
Thu May 28, 2026, 12:36 PM
5 hrs ago

and local activism. No need for a big rally in DC to which Trump would respond with violence. Would accomplish nothing compared to local, peaceful organizing to regain control of Congress.

I cannot share your negativity.

BumRushDaShow

(172,710 posts)
12. They avoided it last year as a BOYCOTT of the sick show of War pageantry that was hijacked for a birthday
Thu May 28, 2026, 02:02 PM
4 hrs ago

The No Kings and Hands Off intentionally planned it that way because the RW corporate media would have done areals of the crowds and attributed them to supporting 45.

The parade was SUPPOSED to honor the 250th anniversary of the Army which was NOT established in "Washington D.C.", which didn't exist back in 1776.

It was started HERE IN PHILADELPHIA and thankfully NONE of those RW loons set foot here, carefully side-stepping the place where our military was officially born.

BumRushDaShow

(172,710 posts)
23. No it wasn't and no it didn't
Thu May 28, 2026, 03:13 PM
2 hrs ago

the biggest No Kings was this past March, the 3rd event, and there were over 8 million who attended worldwide.

if it "hurt" any "momentum", it was the GOP.

Blues Heron

(9,062 posts)
24. I mean last summer, you had had the entire DC region ready to protest, and then ... bupkis. Some went to Philly
Thu May 28, 2026, 03:28 PM
2 hrs ago

You don’t protest something by ignoring it, you face it head on, where it is. Somehow the indivisible people have an aversion to DC.

Even that 3/28 thing was feeble in DC - the photos of an empty mall spoke volumes. Just a few kite flyers. Pathetic.

BumRushDaShow

(172,710 posts)
25. But your argument was that after that FIRST event (that provided counter-programming to the fascist march)
Thu May 28, 2026, 03:45 PM
2 hrs ago

the whole thing would essentially collapse and it didn't. Each event after (later in October 2025 and then this past March), it got bigger and bigger and really went global.

I have been to the D.C. metro area many many many times over a 30-some year period and I guarantee that there were events in the area OUTSIDE OF where that damn "parade" was happening.

Where I live in Philly, I am 10 miles from downtown where these types of protests happen, so I am sure there were things that went on that were within 10 miles of downtown D.C. that people in the area could have attended. As it was, it also "rained on that parade" that day too.

Attilatheblond

(9,313 posts)
3. Who is paying ALL the costs for this travesty birthday bash he's giving himself, and who gets any proceeds?
Thu May 28, 2026, 12:12 PM
5 hrs ago

Rhetorical question, of course.

Meanwhile, No Kings events are always fun and don't cost taxpayers a cent.

AverageOldGuy

(4,224 posts)
9. Trump says demand for tix to the UFC event is overwhelming. Maybe not.
Thu May 28, 2026, 01:32 PM
4 hrs ago

Here's a comment from my contact in DC:

That’s a total lie about the tix - saw a report yesterday about Hegseth sending messages to military high ups giving away tix to military people BUT they can’t be fat, are either below E5 or low level officer - they have to pay their own travel, can’t bring family, etc.  it’s gonna be a shitshow - and the ellipse doesn’t hold 100k.

SergeStorms

(20,876 posts)
27. In the end.....
Thu May 28, 2026, 04:20 PM
1 hr ago

Trump's handlers will fill the event with paid "fans" and the Secret Service will be working 24/7 to vet every one of them before Agent Orange's "birthday celebration." Of course Trump doesn't care how much inconvenience and extra work anyone has to go through for his enjoyment.

Grim Chieftain

(2,110 posts)
11. Great timing and I'll be there
Thu May 28, 2026, 01:39 PM
4 hrs ago

But respectfully, we need to drop the "No Kings" moniker. It has been minimally effective. Our message needs to be much stronger and more targeted regarding what is actually happening to our country.

SergeStorms

(20,876 posts)
28. "No 34 time convicted felons....
Thu May 28, 2026, 04:22 PM
1 hr ago

and pedophiles" is sorta difficult to get on one sign, though. 😉

johnnyfins

(4,034 posts)
13. really?
Thu May 28, 2026, 02:24 PM
3 hrs ago

“one of the greatest and most historic sports events in history”.

This ufc thing will be forgotten. It will only be talked about in the same breath as trumps corruption and his despotic regime.

SergeStorms

(20,876 posts)
16. He never fights his own fights....
Thu May 28, 2026, 02:34 PM
3 hrs ago

he always hires someone or cons some ignorant patsy into doing his dirty work. He's a total coward.

SergeStorms

(20,876 posts)
15. That he's denigrating The Peoples' White House.....
Thu May 28, 2026, 02:32 PM
3 hrs ago

with such a barbaric display of male toxic stupidity makes my blood boil.

The United States of America has officially become the decline of the Roman Empire. "Bread and circuses."

All for the amusement of an egotistical criminal con-man whose only goals in life are accumulating wealth and demeaning women.

Fuck you, Donald J. Trump. 🖕 I hate you with the intensity of a billion suns.

James48

(5,260 posts)
19. Sign up to host a watch party in your town-
Thu May 28, 2026, 02:42 PM
3 hrs ago

You can read more about the event, a concert in NY, with watch parties held around the country,
And you can sign up here to host a party:

https://www.nokings.org/

And a listing of those watch parties already signed up here:

https://www.mobilize.us/nokings/?show_all_events=true

See you there!

Figarosmom

(13,722 posts)
22. Yeah, so great, I heard Milli Vanilli was going to entertain
Thu May 28, 2026, 02:54 PM
3 hrs ago

and one of them is dead. That should entertain, zombie Milli or Vanilli, oh wait they (he) canceled (they were foreigners anyway. But who will be preforming at different times starting June 24th are Vanilla Ice, Martina McBboutique? Morris Day, Flo Rida, The Commodores, and Bret Michaels. And one of the fighters is an "interim champ" . Real life gladiator show. I wonder if trump gives a thumps down or up to end the bout👍👎

BigmanPigman

(55,586 posts)
32. The history of the past "biggest ever" protests...
Thu May 28, 2026, 05:24 PM
44 min ago

April 6, 2025. HANDS OFF!

June 14, 2026 NO KINGS

Oct., 18, 2026 NO KINGS

March 28, 2026 NO KINGS

Each one was larger than the last one.

I've been to 32 protests since 2016 and I keep track of activist events.

*I have the feeling that another "assassination attempt" will occur at the UFC/birthday bash.



Ballroom, ballroom, ballroom!

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