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No Kings

The First Amendment to the Constitution guarantees “the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” On 18 October 2025, an estimated seven millions of Americans attended thousands of “No Kings” protests held across the country. The message of the protests was simple: “America has No Kings.”

In advance of the event, prominent Republicans have attacked the protest as un-American. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), and Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-IN) have all called it a “hate America rally.” Johnson described the No Kings protests as an “outrageous gathering for outrageous purposes“ and said those who attend the event “don’t want to stand and defend the foundational truths of this republic.” Johnson claimed those attending would be “pro-Hamas“ and “antifa people.” Emmer said the protest involved “the terrorist wing“ of the Democratic Party. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the event was “part of antifa.”

Republicans portrayed the movement as driven by radical groups. “We call it the ‘hate America’ rally that will happen Saturday,” House Speaker Mike Johnson saidy. “I bet you’ll see Hamas supporters, I bet you’ll see Antifa types, I bet you’ll see the Marxists on full display.” White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told Fox News on Thursday that “the Democrat Party’s main constituency are made up of Hamas terrorists, illegal aliens, and violent criminals.”

Other Republicans claimed that the attendees would be paid. Senator Roger Marshall (R-KS) claimed that the event would have “professional protesters“ who were paid for by George Soros. Duffy also said the event would be filled with “paid protesters,” which “begs the question who’s funding it.”

Donald Trump, the founder and majority shareholder of Truth Social, used the platform to post AI-generated videos of himself as "King Trump". This came in response to nationwide "No Kings" protests against his administration. Devin Nunes serves as the CEO of Truth Social's parent company, Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG).

According to multiple outlets, Trump shared a 19-second AI-generated clip on his social media platform that depicts him wearing a crown and piloting a fighter jet marked “King Trump”. The plane flies over what appears to be New York City (Times Square imagery) and then releases a brown liquid onto a crowd of protesters.

The AI videos were posted by Trump on his Truth Social account in October 2025, in reaction to large-scale "No Kings" demonstrations across the country. One video shows an AI-generated Trump wearing a crown and flying a jet labeled "King Trump," which drops a brown liquid on protesters while Kenny Loggins' "Danger Zone" plays in the background. Another video depicts him wearing a crown and cape, drawing a sword. As of 19 October 2025 "The Truth Social web app is currently undergoing site maintenance and will be live again soon."

The videos were widely seen as mocking the protests and their anti-authoritarian message. The "No Kings" protest name reflects the view of some demonstrators that Trump is behaving like a "king". The video appears not to be actual footage of Trump flying a jet, but rather a digitally-manipulated or fully synthetic (AI-generated) clip. Media outlets note this fact explicitly: e.g., describing it as “AI-generated ‘King Trump’ dumps on ‘No Kings’ protesters from fighter jet” and remarking upon the surreal nature of the imagery.

The video was widely interpreted as a provocative or mocking response to those protests. Media commentary also highlighted concerns about political tone, use of AI in political communication, and the broader implications for public discourse. The content is highly symbolic and provocative in nature; reactions have ranged from humor to deep concern, depending on the viewer’s perspective.

The “No Kings” protests were a large and growing series of demonstrations across the United States—and in some international cities—organized in response to what participants describe as authoritarian or monarchical tendencies within Donald Trump’s current administration. The movement’s name, drawn from the rallying cry “No Thrones, No Crowns, No Kings,” symbolizes a collective rejection of the idea that any U.S. leader should act above constitutional limits. These protests, which began in June 2025 and surged again on October 18 of the same year, have drawn millions of participants nationwide, representing one of the largest coordinated protest efforts in recent American history.

Forbes reports that billionaire heiress Christy Walton paid for a full-page advertisement in The New York Times promoting the June 14 protests under the “No Kings” banner. However, paying for an advertisement does not necessarily equate to “initial promotion” of the entire movement; the movement appears to have engaged many organisations and thousands of local events. A fact-check website (Snopes) also verifies that Walton placed the ad, but it does not trace her as the founder or sole promoter of the movement.

Christy Walton is the widow of John T. Walton, who was one of the sons of the Walmart founder Sam Walton. In June 2005, her husband died in a homebuilt ultralight plane crash, making her the main heir to his fortune of US$18.2 billion. She was one of the biggest backers of the Lincoln Project, an anti-Trump super-PAC that ran ads in battleground states during the 2020 campaign.

The “No Kings” movement appeared to be supported by a mix of local grassroots organizing, coalitions of nonprofit groups, and possibly larger networks of philanthropic or nonprofit funding. But no definitive public audit shows a full, transparent list of donors exclusively dedicated to the protests nationwide, and the link between large donors and specific protest events remains contested.

Organized by a loose coalition that includes groups such as Indivisible, the 50501 Movement (named for fifty states, fifty protests), and the American Civil Liberties Union, the demonstrations emphasize the defense of democratic norms and civil liberties. Organizers argue that Trump has attempted to consolidate power, diminish institutional checks and balances, and elevate the presidency into something resembling a monarchy. They also point to incidents involving the deployment of federal or military forces in U.S. cities, controversial immigration enforcement actions, and rhetoric that, in their view, undermines judicial and legislative independence.

Trump himself responded to the protests, asserting that “We’re not a king at all,” and dismissing the movement as politically motivated. Nevertheless, his critics note that his campaign and social media posts sometimes adopt regal imagery—crowns, thrones, and even AI-generated videos depicting him as a ruler—which they say reinforces the perception that he embraces authoritarian symbolism.

The scale of the demonstrations has been enormous. Organizers claim that the initial “No Kings Day” in June 2025 brought more than five million people into the streets across more than two thousand cities, and the October 18 protests expanded further, with over seven million participants in all fifty states and over 2,600 locations. Crowds gathered not only in major urban centers such as Washington DC, New York, and Chicago, but also in small towns and suburbs—an indicator, analysts suggest, of the protest movement’s geographic and demographic breadth. Despite their size, most of the demonstrations were peaceful. Organizers have emphasized nonviolence and de-escalation tactics, framing the events as celebrations of democratic resilience rather than acts of confrontation. Still, there have been scattered incidents, including clashes between protesters and counter-demonstrators, and a shooting during the June protests in Salt Lake City that heightened security concerns ahead of later events. Conservative leaders, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, have denounced the movement as “anti-American” and “Marxist,” while organizers insist that it is a patriotic defense of the Constitution.

The “No Kings” protests matter because they represent one of the most visible and coordinated civic responses to concerns about democratic backsliding in modern U.S. politics. They highlight deep divisions in American political culture over the meaning of presidential power and accountability, and they underscore how imagery, symbolism, and mass mobilization have become central to the political narrative surrounding Trump’s leadership. Whether the movement endures or evolves into broader civic or electoral efforts remains to be seen, but its message is clear: in the protesters’ view, the United States is—and must remain — a republic without kings.