Psychiatrists call ‘No Kings’ protest group therapy on the streets

At last weekend’s “No Kings” protest Washington, DC, According to demographic research, a hen chicken swelled above a crowd made up of educated white women in their 40s.

Psychiatrist Jonathan Alpert said the “No King’s” protests are a snapshot of an era when emotional distortions and civic activism are beginning to blur.

“What we’re seeing is a kind of group therapy playing out on the streets,” he told Fox News Digital.

Lewis Stark, left, and Kane Hughes wear inflatable axolotl (Mexican salamander) costumes as they join thousands of others for the second “No Kings” protest. (via Clifford Otto / The Stockton Record / USA TODAY Network Imagin Images)

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The protest, which drew thousands to the nation’s capital and similar rallies across the country, was aimed at what participants described as a protest. President Donald Trump’s “State” and outright authoritarianism.

According to American University researchers who track protest movements and whose findings were first reported by Axios, the typical DC attendee was an educated white woman in her 40s who learned about the demonstration through friends or through social media.

“The ‘No Kings’ movement It gives people a sense of belonging and community,” Alpert said. “It feels good to share grievances with like-minded people, but it doesn’t change anything.”

Canton’s Dr. Jeanine Standard sports a puffy chicken suit as she joins hundreds of other protesters for the “No Kings” rally Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025, along War Memorial Drive near Peoria Stadium. (via Matt Dayhoff / Journal Star / USA TODAY Network Imagin Images)

Alpert, who is the author of his upcoming book “Therapy Nation,” said that “Therapy speaks“It’s everywhere in our culture.

“Therapy speak is everywhere — on dating apps, on the news, even in Political marches“He said. “When there’s no clinical diagnosis, people start labeling others as narcissists or traumatized.”

Protesters in puffy costumes rally on Pennsylvania Avenue during the No Kings protest in Washington, Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

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Alpert sees hunger as a central connection to the “no kings” phenomenon.

“There are people Desire communityAnd it gives them a place to channel it. They’re surrounded by others who validate how they feel, and that validation can be addictive,” he said. “Some protester Comparing the ‘No Kings’ movement to the civil rights movement. There is a similarity in their minds, but not really. They want to be part of something historically meaningful—and that longing can distort perspective.”

That fleeting catharsis, Alpert added, can also mask something darker.

“A lot of times people are unhappy in their own lives,” he said. “They may have anxiety or anger and project that onto others. That’s partly what we’re seeing at these rallies.”

Kim Armstrong wears a blooming elephant costume at Government Plaza in Tuscaloosa, Alabama as she participates in the No Kings protest, a nationwide protest against Donald Trump’s presidency. (Imagn Images via Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY Network)

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Why are people wearing puffy costumes to protest?

During the “No Kings” protests across the country last Saturday, the inflatable T. Rexes, elephants and other figures sporting brightly colored costumes flooded the streets. Proponents say the inflatable costumes attract attention without violence. The maneuver began during a protest against US Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Portland, Oregon.

“They want us to be violent,” said protester Claudia Schulz, who wore an inflatable pig costume. Miami Herald. “You can’t get any less violent than this.”