Protests return to the streets two weeks from the midterms: “Vote is antidote”

Mmillions of people went to the streets today in the United States on a new “No Kings Day” to encourage the vote in the mid-term elections, which on November 3 will decide whether Republicans maintain or lose control of Congress.

“ We are fighting for democracy,” said Lusa Fran Powell, one of the protesters who joined the protest in Burbank, Los Angeles, one of several places in Southern California where the day of action was organized “No Kings: Vote Early” (or “No Kings: Vote Early” in Portuguese translation).

“The United States has given up much that we must recover,” said the elector, for whom democracy “is on the verge of collapse” and voting “is the antidote.”.

Powell was hopeful at the outcome of the midterms and at the possibility that the Democrats would win back the majority in the House of Representatives and the Senate (low chamber and high chamber of Congress, respectively).

“Republicans are doing nothing and have a blind faith in Trump,” Donald Trump accused in a reference to the American President.

“ We need the mechanisms of control and balance that Congress is supposed to exercise,” he said.

Throughout the country, there have been more than 3,000 actions led by a coalition that includes groups 50501 and Indivisible, spread across capitals, cities and settlements, with a view to greater participation in the mid-terms, which traditionally have greater abstention than the presidential ones.

Although this “Day Without Kings” was organized with the bipartisan objective of encouraging the vote, most protesters held posters against President Donald Trump’s administration and gave voice to their discontent.

That's what Buzz Brown, a senior voter who attended the demonstration to defend democracy and the right to health, but not only.

“ This administration is very good at avoiding compliance with the law,” he told Lusa, and continued: “I do not think we can continue to say that this is a democracy”.

Brown, whose father fought in World War II, opined that one of the biggest problems of the administration is corruption in plain sight and the collusion of the Republican Party.

“ I see an attempt to dismantle the democracy we had,” he said.

“It’s all about money and power,” he continued, lamenting that the Democrats are not so well organized electorally compared to opponents.

“ Republicans are good at winning elections, have a well-oiled machine,” Brown said.

However, the latest polls indicate that it is the Democratic Party that is best placed to overcome the midterms and may even be able to regain control of the Senate, which was considered very difficult a few months ago.

President Trump's level of unpopularity is at historic peaks, with only 32% approval.

Nolan Southerland, a 45-year-old candidate for a seat on the Burbank City Council, considered that the vote would make a difference and voters should have a plan to make sure they're heard.

“ We must demand changes in our local communities,” Lusa said.

“ We must resist and oppose Trump’s government,” he reinforced.

Southerland claimed to have hope, despite all the problems the US and the world face.

“ I think many people have opened their eyes to the situation and are more involved in their local communities,” he said.

“At the national level, we have a positive movement towards a more progressive direction,” he said.

The candidate considered that if there are enough progressive representatives in Congress, Trump will no longer have a blank check to do whatever he wants.

“We have not had control. The Republican Party aligned itself with Trump, even the people who vehemently opposed him a few years ago,” he stressed.

Among drums, tambourines and chants, the theme of the demonstration in Burbank was the defense of vote and democracy, freedom of expression and rejection of authoritarian leaders.

Nancy Winogradow pointed to a feeling of insecurity and was amazed by the speed with which the system, in her opinion, collapsed.

“Corruption and manipulation are so great. It seems untrue that it happened so quickly,” Lusa said.

“ It will take a long time to undo this destruction that happened, apparently, overnight”, he said.

The expectation of Burbank's inhabitant is that a Democratic victory in the interim will at least help prevent even worse things from happening at a time when there is difficulty in paying the bills, supplying the car and going to the doctor.

However, voter Eric (who did not want to name himself) put the hypothesis that the current Republican majority leader in the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, would refuse to sit down if the Democrats won.

“He has done so before,” he pointed out, referring to the instance in which the ‘speaker’ refused to confirm Congressman Adelita Grijalva for 50 days, when she won a special election for the 7th district of Arizona.

“If there is a blue wave, he can cross his arms and say we have to evaluate congressmen,” Eric suggested.

“ Let's see a lot of things that never happened. We are being dominated by an autocrat, by a dictator, and people are submitting,” he said.

Washington D.C., New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Boston had some of the biggest crowds on this day of protest and election mobilization.

This was the fourth initiative of the No Kings movement since the first, on June 14, 2025.

In addition to the Congress – in which the renewal of the entire House of Representatives and a third of the Senate is at stake – the November 3rd elections will determine various other types of race, from legislative measures to governors and mayors, the equivalent of mayors.