Minnesota back in focus as Americans gear up for anti-Trump protests

Protesters gather during a rally for Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE officer earlier in the week, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

Minnesota will be a key focal point for nationwide protests Saturday against U.S. President Donald Trump, returning to the limelight months after becoming ground zero for national debate over his sometimes violent immigration crackdown.

As part of a third day of nationwide “No Kings” rallies against Trump, his perceived authoritarian bent and controversial policies, legendary rocker Bruce Springsteen, a fierce critic of the president, is scheduled to perform in St. Paul, the capital of the northern state.

Springsteen is expected to perform “Streets of Minneapolis”, a ballad he wrote and recorded in the space of 24 hours in memory of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, Americans shot and killed by federal agents during street protests in frigid January weather against Trump’s immigration offensive.

“Minnesotans have already shown we’ll stand up for democracy in -10 degree weather, so Saturday should be a breeze!” organizers said in a statement.

Senator Bernie Sanders, the elder statesman of the American left, is also expected to show up in St. Paul, which together with Minneapolis forms a metropolitan area straddling the Mississippi River known as the Twin Cities.

The “No Kings” movement is a coalition of grassroots groups that has emerged as the biggest voice of national outrage against Trump since he began his second term in January 2025. The first two rallies in June and October brought out several million people.

Organizers say more than 3,000 rallies are planned for Saturday, an increase from the last protest day, in major cities coast to coast and in suburbs and rural areas.

Now a new front for outrage against Trump has opened: the war the United States is waging along with Israel against Iran.

“Since the last time we marched, this administration has dragged us deeper into war,” said Naveed Shah of Common Defense, a veterans association that belongs to the “No Kings” movement.

“At home, we’ve watched citizens killed in the streets by militarized forces. We’ve seen families torn apart and immigrant communities targeted. All of it done in the name of one man trying to rule like a king,” he said.