Fact check: What is estimated national attendance at no kings protests

1. Summary of the results

The estimated national attendance at No Kings protests appears to be between 4-6 million people, with multiple sources converging around the 5 million mark. Specifically:

• Strength In Numbers' crowdsourcing effort estimates 4-6 million participants (1.2-1.8% of the U.S. population) ^[1]
• Axios reports "over 5 million" participants across more than 2,000 events nationwide ^[2]
• Major turnouts were recorded in key cities:
• Los Angeles: 200,000 protesters
• Boston: Over 1 million
• Philadelphia: 80,000 ^[2]

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Several important contextual elements should be considered:

• The data collection is still incomplete, with only 40% of events accounted for in some estimates ^[1]
• These protests represent the largest coordinated demonstrations since the start of Trump's second administration ^[2]
• The protests were geographically diverse, spanning from major urban centers to small towns ^[3]
• One source notably abstains from providing specific numbers, suggesting possible uncertainty in the counting methodology ^[3]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

When evaluating these numbers, several potential sources of bias should be considered:

• The counting methodology relies heavily on crowdsourcing and multiple data sources, including social media, which could lead to both over- and under-counting ^[1]
• Different organizations might have different interests in reporting higher or lower numbers:
• Protest organizers might benefit from higher reported numbers to demonstrate movement strength
• Government entities might have interest in downplaying attendance
• Media organizations like Axios might benefit from dramatic headlines about record-breaking attendance
• The most comprehensive estimate comes from a group called "Strength In Numbers," whose methodology, while extensive, is not officially verified ^[1]