Over seven million Americans marched on the weekend of 18 October under the banner “No Kings,” a slogan that feels almost quaint in a country currently led by a man who seems to believe divine right comes with his poll numbers. The protests, stretching across all 50 states, were peaceful, defiant, and frankly astonishing in scale. They were also met with utter contempt from the White House.
President Donald Trump’s response was not a policy or even a statement, it was an AI-generated video depicting himself wearing a crown, flying a plane, and dropping faeces on protesters below. It’s difficult to decide what’s worse: the pettiness or the sheer absurdity.
According to the New York Police Department, over 100,000 people marched peacefully across the five boroughs. There were no arrests, no riots, just a national act of collective disgust. Protesters cited the same catalogue of grievances that have defined Trump’s time in office: mass detentions of immigrants, the collapse of environmental protections, the war on public healthcare, the endless parade of mass shootings.
The “No-kings” website makes its message clear, “This country does not belong to kings, dictators, or tyrants. It belongs to We the People.” This constitutional rhetoric is a reminder that right from the foundation of the nation in 1776 democracy was meant to be its main point.
The administrations’ reaction, aside from the AI video, was nothing more than a “Who cares?” from Abigail Jackson, White House spokesperson, when asked about one of three of the largest coordinated demonstrations in American history. The arrogance of it is staggering, showing a contempt for the very people the president is supposed to represent.
So, is this effective action against Trump, or just liberals shouting into the wind? In the short term, it will likely lack an answer. Trump thrives on outrage; he feeds on it. These protests won’t decrease his “fan” base or shift his politics. But that isn’t really their purpose. What the “No-kings” movement achieves is moral clarity, a refusal to be complicit, a collective insistence that authoritarianism cannot be normalised.
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders summed it up best: “We’re not here because we hate America; we’re here because we love America.” That patriotism may not knock over Trump today, but it’s the only thing keeping the idea of American democracy alive while its self-appointed monarch hurls poop from his throne (or AI generated plane).
“No Kings protest in Chico (2025)-104A2139” by Frank Schulenburg is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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No Kings, No Shame: who does democracy really belong to?
Over seven million Americans marched on the weekend of 18 October under the banner “No Kings,” a slogan that feels almost quaint in a country currently led by a man who seems to believe divine right comes with his poll numbers. The protests, stretching across all 50 states, were peaceful, defiant, and frankly astonishing in scale. They were also met with utter contempt from the White House.
President Donald Trump’s response was not a policy or even a statement, it was an AI-generated video depicting himself wearing a crown, flying a plane, and dropping faeces on protesters below. It’s difficult to decide what’s worse: the pettiness or the sheer absurdity.
According to the New York Police Department, over 100,000 people marched peacefully across the five boroughs. There were no arrests, no riots, just a national act of collective disgust. Protesters cited the same catalogue of grievances that have defined Trump’s time in office: mass detentions of immigrants, the collapse of environmental protections, the war on public healthcare, the endless parade of mass shootings.
The “No-kings” website makes its message clear, “This country does not belong to kings, dictators, or tyrants. It belongs to We the People.” This constitutional rhetoric is a reminder that right from the foundation of the nation in 1776 democracy was meant to be its main point.
The administrations’ reaction, aside from the AI video, was nothing more than a “Who cares?” from Abigail Jackson, White House spokesperson, when asked about one of three of the largest coordinated demonstrations in American history. The arrogance of it is staggering, showing a contempt for the very people the president is supposed to represent.
So, is this effective action against Trump, or just liberals shouting into the wind? In the short term, it will likely lack an answer. Trump thrives on outrage; he feeds on it. These protests won’t decrease his “fan” base or shift his politics. But that isn’t really their purpose. What the “No-kings” movement achieves is moral clarity, a refusal to be complicit, a collective insistence that authoritarianism cannot be normalised.
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Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders summed it up best: “We’re not here because we hate America; we’re here because we love America.” That patriotism may not knock over Trump today, but it’s the only thing keeping the idea of American democracy alive while its self-appointed monarch hurls poop from his throne (or AI generated plane).
“No Kings protest in Chico (2025)-104A2139” by Frank Schulenburg is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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