NEW JERSEY—At least 5,000 people took part in Saturday's "No Kings" protest in Morristown, but photojournalists on the ground documented crowds filling just two blocks of South Street: hundreds of protesters, not thousands. The discrepancy highlights the difficulty of measuring the decentralized demonstrations, which stretched from Jersey City to Cape May and took place as part of the third nationwide protest wave targeting the Trump administration.
JC and Hoboken Residents Unite at Hudson Riverfront
Demonstrators marched from Park Lane in Jersey City and crossed the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway to Hoboken's Pier A starting at 9:30 AM. In Hoboken, rally speakers addressed the crowd, which carried signs that read "No Kings" and "Impeach Trump," according to video documentation from multiple locations. The riverside mobilization represented one leg of more than 65 events planned across New Jersey on March 28.
In Piscataway, more than 400 demonstrators assembled outside the municipal complex on Hoes Lane after Mayor Eric Wahler's administration reversed an initial attempt to limit parking availability. "Thanks to everyone who called Mayor Wahler and helped us have a successful rally," said Staci Berger chair of the Piscataway Progressive Democratic Organization which sponsored the event. Council members Sarah Rashid and Laura Leibowitz also addressed the crowd, alongside representatives from the Piscataway Township Education Association. The reversal allowed demonstrators to utilize municipal lots for the two-hour assembly after organizers reported initial municipal resistance to the gathering.
Newark's demonstration, organized by the People's Organization for Progress at the Lincoln Statue, drew hundreds. According to the organization's press release, 41 groups endorsed the event, including major labor unions and the Newark Branch NAACP. The endorsing coalition represented a significant portion of the state's public sector and building trades labor movement, though no coordinated work stoppages accompanied the Saturday demonstrations.
South Jersey saw gatherings at Roosevelt Plaza Park in Camden, marching to Wiggins Waterfront Park. Additional events occurred in Berlin, Glassboro, Pine Hill, Galloway, Lacey Township, Toms River, Atlantic City, Ocean City and Cape May. Warren County demonstrators, organized by Warren County Action Together, lined Route 22 in Phillipsburg and Route 46 in Hackettstown. The group emphasized nonviolent civic action principles. Hunterdon County saw gatherings in Flemington, Frenchtown, Milford and Lambertville.
Morristown Demonstration Included Police Drone Surveillance
Suburban areas like Morristown, near the site of a planned ICE detention facility, also saw significant demonstrations. Morristown police closed South Street from Madison Avenue to Elm Street between 10:30 AM and 2:30 PM. They also deployed a small drone to monitor the assembly from above. No arrests were reported at the location. The traffic advisory issued to motorists marked the first documented use of drone surveillance at a Morristown political demonstration.
Visual documentation confirmed a counter-protest presence in nearby Somerville, though the scale and statements of the opposing group were not detailed in press accounts.
White House Responds to “Therapy Sessions”
The White House dismissed the demonstrations through spokesperson Abigail Jackson, who characterized the events as "Trump Derangement Therapy Sessions." The National Republican Congressional Committee labeled them "Hate America Rallies." President Trump responded to the branding directly stating "I'm not a king. I work my a-- off to make our country great."
The phrase "No Kings" derives from American Revolutionary anti-monarchical sentiment, revived in opposition to what the organizers call monarchical behavior by the Trump administration. Event organizers estimated 8 to 9 million participants nationwide at 3,300 events for the March 28 demonstrations.
Electoral Battles, Future Protests to Come?
The Morristown demonstrations occurred less than three weeks before a special congressional election in its congressional district, where Democrat Analilia Mejia faces Republican Joe Hathaway on April 16. Activists in Maplewood and South Orange explicitly targeted the election timing, with organizers supporting Mejia's campaign in the district spanning Essex, Morris and Passaic counties.
The rallies also took place one week after Governor Mikie Sherrill signed legislation prohibiting masked federal agents from conducting operations in New Jersey and limiting health care data sharing with immigration authorities. That legislative action followed local protests earlier in March against the planned ICE facility in Roxbury. Sherrill attended a “No Kings” rally at the Princeton Battle Monument on Saturday.
Organizers have not announced dates for subsequent actions.
Sources
• Lori Comstock, NorthJersey.com, "Anti Trump protests this weekend; Where are No Kings protests near me?" March 27, 2026
• Mary Ann Koruth, NorthJersey.com, “'No Kings' Morristown rally draws hundreds on a chilly spring day,” March 28, 2026
• Morristown Green, "Morristown No Kings III protest draws thousands, targets war, ICE policies" March 28, 2026
• Max Pizarro, “Governor Sherrill Kicks off No Kings Rally in New Jersey,” March 28, 2026
• Risha Inaganti, Cherry Hill Courier-Post, "No Kings protests to return across these South Jersey locations," March 28, 2026
• NJ.com, "Thousands protest Donald Trump's policies at 'No Kings' rallies across N.J.," March 28, 2026
• WHYY, "N.J. suburbanites embrace anti-Trump resistance before No Kings protests in Philadelphia, across U.S.," March 27, 2026
• Newsweek, "‘No Kings’ Protests Draw Massive Crowds, Trump Admin Ridicule," March 28, 2026
• TAPInto Piscataway, “No Kings Day of Peaceful Action in Piscataway & Across America,” March 28, 2026
• Insider NJ, “No Kings Protest In Newark, NJ Saturday, March 28th,” March 28, 2026
• Indivisible Mobilize.us, “No Kings” rally event pages
• Jay Edwards, WRNJ Radio, "Demonstrators gather across Northwest New Jersey as part of ‘No Kings’ protests," March 29, 2026
• P.C. Robinson, Bernardsville News, “'The promise of America:' Somerville's No Kings rally is a loud and feisty affair,” March 28, 2026