Americanswers… on 5 Live! How will Donald Trump respond to the ‘No Kings’ protests?

18 snips

Oct 20, 2025

Millions protested against Trump’s expanding authority in major cities. The hosts analyze his initial response and the implications for future protests amidst concerns over safety and surveillance. Ukrainian President Zelensky's tense meeting at the White House highlights challenges in securing military support. Additionally, John Bolton's indictment raises questions about Trump's targeting of former officials. The episode ends with discussions on political artifacts that could define the future and a hot mic moment involving Trump and foreign leaders.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

INSIGHT

Scale And Strategy Of No Kings Protests

The No Kings protests drew millions across US cities to oppose Trump's expansion of presidential power.
Protesters deliberately used carnival costumes to make their movement appear non-threatening and broad-based.

ADVICE

Consider Surveillance Risks Before Protesting

Be cautious about protesting publicly because facial recognition and social media posts can create long-term risks.
People on visas should especially weigh the potential immigration consequences before participating.

INSIGHT

Using Humor To Neutralize Accusations

Protest organisers used humour and costumes to blunt administration claims of extremism.
The playful tactic makes it harder for authorities to label protesters as dangerous radicals.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

Millions of Americans took to the streets over the weekend to take part in ‘No Kings’ protests against Donald Trump’s policies and his expansion of presidential authority. Major U.S cities like Chicago, Miami, New York and Washington D.C saw people turn out in much greater numbers than the first ‘No Kings’ protests back in June. We look at Donald Trump’s initial response to the protests and your questions on how he may look to respond in the long-term.

And, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been back at the White House, this time hoping to secure U.S. made Tomahawk missiles for Ukraine. He appears to have been unsuccessful in his requests, and there are reports that the pair’s meeting was difficult, with some shouting. We look at what we know about the meeting and what it says about Trump’s attempts to stop the war.

John Bolton, former National Security Advisor to Donald Trump in his first administration, has now been criminally indicted by the president on charges of mishandling classified information. It’s the latest in a long list of perceived enemies being targeted by the Trump administration, but who could be next? And what are the risks for the president if the case ends up in court?

Sarah, Anthony, Justin and Marianna joined Matt Chorley on 5 Live today to answer these questions, and plenty more, including the prospect of an ‘Arc De Trump’ appearing in the nation’s capital…

HOSTS: • Matt Chorley, 5 Live presenter • Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter • Sarah Smith, North America Editor • Anthony Zurcher, North America Correspondent • Marianna Spring, Social Media Investigations Correspondent

GET IN TOUCH: • Join our online community: https://discord.gg/qSrxqNcmRB • Send us a message or voice note via WhatsApp to +44 330 123 9480 • Email Americast@bbc.co.uk • Or use #Americast

This episode was made by George Dabby with Grace Reeve. The technical producer was . The social producer was Grace Braddock. The series producer is Purvee Pattni. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

If you want to be notified every time we publish a new episode, please subscribe to us on BBC Sounds by hitting the subscribe button on the app.

You can now listen to Americast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Americast”. It works on most smart speakers.

US Election Unspun: Sign up for Anthony’s BBC newsletter: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-68093155

Americast is part of the BBC News Podcasts family of podcasts. The team that makes Americast also makes lots of other podcasts, including Newscast and Ukrainecast. If you enjoy Americast (and if you're reading this then you hopefully do), then we think that you will enjoy some of our other pods too. See links below.

Newscast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/series/p05299nl Ukrainecast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p0bqztzm Radical: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p0gg4k6r The Global Story: BBC Sounds - The Global Story - Available Episodes