Democrats have been looking for a jolt of energy since their devastating November loss of the White House to President Trump, and they finally feel like they got one this past weekend during the "No Kings" protests.

Millions marched in demonstrations across the country, from small towns to cities, with those marching raising their voices and signs against President Trump and his administration's policies, particularly on immigration.

Democrats are now pondering how to harness the power of the protests and parlay it into ongoing excitement for a party that has felt lost and rudderless since former Vice President Kamala Harris’s defeat.

They say it's a different kind of energy than the resistance that emerged in 2017, during Trump's first administration, and is only gaining in popularity this time, five months into Trump’s second term.

“One of the things that is so encouraging about No Kings ... is that it seems like the opposition to Trump is growing,” said Democratic strategist Joel Payne. “This time, it's already bigger and feeling more diverse and more sustainable."

“These are not just the coffeehouse liberals who are coming out to protests — you are seeing independents and less political people showing up at these rallies,” Payne added. “And the rallies are not just in big blue cities. They are all over the country and communities large and small. Trump's overreach has really united the opposition more quickly than it did in his first term.”

© The Hill