Americans Plan To Go From Peaceful Walkouts To Possibly Punching Things
KEY POINTS
- •On January 20 at 2pm local time, tens of thousands are expected to participate in 'Free America' walkouts nationwide.
- •About 800 events are planned with over 38,200 RSVPs, signaling a broad push for more disruptive protest tactics.
- •Survey data shows 34% of protesters believe violence may be necessary, a rise since last October’s No Kings rally.
Exactly two years into Trump’s reign, tens of thousands are ditching jobs, school, and commerce for the 'Free America' walkout on Jan 20 at 2pm, defying work like interns ghosting last emails. Dana Fisher from American Univ. warns peaceful protests won’t cut it anymore; the toolbox is expanding, probably including creative middle fingers and more hardcore TikTok-ready chaos. Women’s March chief Tamika Middleton says protesters want to 'withdraw consent'—politically, not romantically—amid 800 planned events with 38,200 RSVPs proving Americans love a group chat. Meanwhile, White House spokesperson Liz Huston says Trump’s making America 'greater than ever,' unless you asked peaceful protesters shot by ICE, which raised political violence acceptance from 23% to a spicy 34%. The future sounds like 'No Kings' rallies, but louder, angrier, and with more side-eyes at fascism.
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Protesters are done politely marching, and 34% now think violence might be the franchise expansion America needs. Great, because peaceful rallies never did get good Yelp reviews.
Apparently when polite protests stop changing anything, people start considering 'maybe violence'—the glow-up nobody asked for but everyone’s talking about.
Free America walkouts didn’t RSVP only baristas and slackers; 38,000+ are planning to ditch work. Someone tell the boss meetings might get spicy.
Source: Axios | Published: 1/19/2026 | Author: April Rubin
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