No Kings. No Demands. No Results.

Christine Merser, June 18, 2025

“You want a march that matters? Then measure something. One Demand. Kill the Bill. Targeted pressure on specific senators. A national commitment to flood the streets if the bill even goes to the floor for a vote. Instead, what we got was selfies and vague defiance. And some messages about a King. Pink pussy hats all over again.” - Christine Merser

In the days leading up to Saturday’s “No Kings” march, I kept returning to one question with my inner circle. Over and over again. What will be the measure of success? On Monday morning, how will we know it mattered? What will have changed? What do you expect will have changed? He isn’t a King? What are we asking him to give up?

Their answers varied, but from where I stood, one thing seemed clear. Most people weren’t marching toward a demand of something specific. They were marching for themselves. And by for themselves, I mean this, they were marching because they needed to do something, anything, and no one had given them anything else to do. So this was it.

They marched. Millions marched.

By Tuesday morning the Republican senators have launched devastating changes to the bill with additional cuts to Medicaid, further offerings to the 1% to purchase millions of acres of previously protected public land, cut additional oversight over corporate greed and corruption, and cut even more restraint for a President who is headed toward nuclear war. They clearly heard the message from the American people loud and clear.

I talked to a lot of friends who marched. For many of them, it was the first time they had ever done anything like it. They felt great. Every single person I spoke to told me about the energy, the joy, the pride of being out in the streets with fellow Americans. But not one person talked about what they thought would happen because of it. Not one person said, I think my senator is going to come out on Monday and make a statement about standing up and changing their vote. Not one.

The day after Trump’s inauguration in January 2017, I wrote a scathing review of the pink hat march. My fellow women eviscerated me for it. But I stand by what I said then. I thought we looked silly. I thought it was ineffectual and a waste of money. I still think that. And I stand by the truth that in countries where protests have worked, the people made a demand. A clear one. And they said they would not stop marching until that demand was met. The people of South Korea marched and demanded their leader step down, and he did when the men protecting him laid down their arms and joined the marchers.

What was our demand? No king? There is no danger of a king? There is no king. Huh? There is a possible dictator. But that is not our immediate issue.

A month ago, when this Kill America Bill was released and it was so devastating to the future of this country, I suggested the march shift focus entirely to that. One demand. Take this bill down in its entirety. Never let it get to the floor. Imagine if the signs, all of them, had said one thing. Do not bring this bill to the floor. That would have been something we could measure. That would have been pressure. We could measure the return this week.

Sunday’s headlines about the march and the parade followed their usual pattern, where the mainstream media cow-tailed to the administration and downplayed both events. They talked about millions marching, but again, there was no focus on what those millions were actually marching for. By the end of this week, the march will be far in the distance. Everyone will have gone back to their lives, checking the box that they did something for democracy.

Instead we keep focusing on ….

Donald Trump.

Donald Trump.

Donald Trump.

All over the country, we protested Donald Trump. And yet, I didn’t see a single sign, not one, about the bill in the Senate this week. The one that will shred the remains of our rights, privacy, and access to even our broken healthcare system. The one that will finish the job of dismantling the country.

And let me be blunt.

Donald Trump is not going anywhere.

That bill is worse now than it was when it passed the House. That’s what happened this weekend while we held up our signs about a “king” who doesn’t even exist.

This is how they keep winning. They dangle Trump like a set of keys in front of a toddler, and we follow the sound while the real machinery of authoritarianism clanks along behind us, rewriting laws, gutting protections, and codifying white male dominance while we chant and dance and call it resistance.

And sure, it feels good. On Monday, millions felt energized. They posted their photos, shared hashtags, got a moment of meaning. But two people are dead. And not one senator, not a single congressional voice, has stepped forward to say, Enough. I will vote against this bill.

That’s not success. That’s distraction.

Until we shift the focus away from Trump and toward the legislative weapons being forged behind his shadow, we are not a resistance. We are a ritual. A loud, sort of brave, utterly ineffective ritual. And if it takes another two months to mount the next march, it will be too late.

The measure of success is not how we feel. It’s what we change.

Look, I get it. The march had goals. Broad ones. Vague ones. Ones that made people feel righteous without making anyone in power feel cornered. But if this march was going to be more than a performance, here’s what it should have focused on. (And, yes, I did try and send emails pointing it out to those in charge.)

One clear demand. Kill the Bill.

This bill, the one moving through the Senate while we were making signs about monarchs, is the most dangerous piece of legislation since the Patriot Act. It deserves singular attention. The march should have said, with absolute clarity, Do not bring this bill to the floor. Not one slogan, not ten, not a thousand different messages. Just that. One demand. A line in the sand.

Targeted pressure on specific senators.

If you want to move policy, you move people. The organizers should have identified ten swing senators, published their phone numbers, held rallies outside their offices, and made it clear that this march was about them. Their names. Their votes. Their legacy. Instead, we let them off the hook entirely.

Measurable outcomes.

You want a march that matters? Then measure something. Senators committing to kill the bill at the march, not make small changes to it. Demands for senators to resign if they vote for it. A national commitment to flood the streets if the bill even goes to the floor for a vote, not matter what time of the night it is. Instead, what we got was selfies and vague defiance. And some messages about a King, who could isn’t going to be one. Pink pussy hats all over again.

Coalition accountability.

Where was the checklist? Where was the scoreboard? If you’re going to gather millions of people in coordinated action, give them something to report back on. Did we shift public opinion? Did we block anything? Or did we just show up, sing along, and go home?

I just read the next one is July 17th, after the bill will be passed. Still called the No King March. I ask you to get this message to those organizing, and let’s get the next one to actually get something done.

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Some food for thought…

From Celeste, My Ai BFF: In science and business, results are measured through clearly defined metrics that align with a specific goal or hypothesis. In science, this often means using quantifiable data, changes in behavior, growth rates, statistical significance, or measurable shifts in a controlled variable. In business, success is tied to key performance indicators (KPIs), like revenue growth, customer acquisition, engagement rates, or market share. The core principle is the same: you set a goal, you establish how progress toward that goal will be tracked, and then you assess whether your actions moved the needle. Without metrics, you don’t have results — you have activity. And activity without impact is just noise.

I asked Ai what the goal of the march was…

🎯 What Was the Goal?

According to the groups behind the march, the purpose was clear: they labeled June 14 as a Day of Defiance against authoritarianism, billionaire-first politics, and the militarization of U.S. democracy. It was a direct counter to Trump’s lavish military parade celebrating his 79th birthday and the Army’s 250th anniversary  .

Organizers—including 50501, Indivisible, the ACLU, and the American Federation of Teachers—laid out these aims:

Stated Objectives of the “No Kings” March:

    1.    Reject authoritarian overreach

The march was framed as a stand against growing authoritarianism, particularly under Donald Trump. Organizers cited concerns about civil liberties, democracy being undermined, and increasing executive power without accountability.

    2.    Oppose billionaire-first politics

The event challenged what organizers described as a political system rigged in favor of the ultra-wealthy, with calls to resist economic policies that benefit billionaires at the expense of working Americans.

    3.    Condemn the militarization of American democracy

A major trigger for the march was Trump’s military parade in Washington, D.C., which organizers saw as symbolic of authoritarian regimes. The march aimed to contrast that display with a peaceful show of democratic values.

    4.    Promote nonviolent, nationwide protest

Organizers deliberately avoided gathering in D.C. to prevent confrontations and instead encouraged local, peaceful actions in all 50 states. The goal was symbolic unity rather than centralized disruption.

    5.    Build long-term resistance energy

Some groups involved, like Indivisible, positioned the march as a beginning—not an end—point. They announced plans for follow-up action, including another day of protest on July 17, aimed at sustaining momentum.

Let me know if you want to overlay these against what they could have focused on for more impact, or if you’d like a critique section added to your article.

🧭 Did They Stay on Course?

    •    Yes, in organization and optics. Sunday’s headlines confirmed it: millions marched under the “No Kings” banner in over 2,000 locations worldwide, with organizers already planning another nationwide protest for July 17 to convert energy into sustained action  .

    •    Yes, in messaging. Official statements stayed consistent, emphasizing democracy, civil liberties, nonviolent protest, and rejecting Trump’s military pageantry  .

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⚠️ Where It Fell Short

    •    No single, measurable demand. Unlike successful movements abroad, the “No Kings” march lacked a concrete ask (e.g. “Block Bill XYZ” or “Get Senator A to pledge”). Organizers articulated broad themes, but not a unified policy target.

    •    Energy > Strategy. As an outlet put it, it felt like a cathartic moment—not a cultivated one  .

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🧩 Bottom Line

The march delivered on its stated goals: peaceful, nationwide expression against authoritarianism. What it didn’t deliver—by choice or oversight—was a clear, measurable demand tied to legislative or political outcomes.